amusing

1 of 2

adjective

amus·​ing ə-ˈmyü-ziŋ How to pronounce amusing (audio)
Synonyms of amusing
: giving amusement : diverting
amusing twists to the story
amusing gadgets to play with
an amusing performance
amusingly
ə-ˈmyü-ziŋ-lē How to pronounce amusing (audio)
adverb
amusingness noun

amusing

2 of 2

present participle of amuse

Synonyms of amusing

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of amusing in a Sentence

Adjective He's one of the most amusing people I know. It was amusing to hear her tell the story.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Some participants appreciate the light-hearted and good-natured humor, expressing gratitude and finding it timely and amusing. — Edith Pritchett, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 The plot is carried out to horrific proportions, but the subjects are so utterly moronic that the gag stops being amusing. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 Bloom, as the jester-like truth-teller, is a stand-out, pointedly delivering her lines with a modern-sounding ease rather than the amusing Mid-Atlantic upper crusty thespianism the posher characters utilize. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026 One amusing punishment for Taverner is that her beautiful vacation home on the Suffolk coast will be in serious need of renovation. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for amusing

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of amuse

First Known Use

Adjective

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amusing was in 1676

Rhymes for amusing

See All Rhymes for amusing

Browse Nearby Words

Amusgo
amusing
amusive
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Amusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amusing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All