hilarious

adjective

hi-ˈler-ē-əs How to pronounce hilarious (audio)
Definition of hilariousnext
as in funny
causing or intended to cause laughter hilarious cartoons that the whole family can enjoy the clown's hilarious antics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hilarious The viral food posts are hilarious, and yes, watching Europeans discover Waffle House should be preserved in the Library of Congress. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 Sara Bareilles grounds the action as the everywoman at the show’s center, with Busy Philipps and Paula Pell inhabiting every hilarious corner of their outsized characters. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026 When even her attempts at enjoying life’s simpler pleasures — like some chicken parm and coconut cream pie at home with a glass of wine — go tragically awry, Patricia’s disappointment and exasperation are both hilarious and painfully palpable. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 29 June 2026 With Holmes upped to series regular as hilarious party girl Hailee, Season 2 guest appearances include Tom Francis as Declan Bishop, Aisha Dee as Naomi and AnnaSophia Robb as Chels. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hilarious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hilarious
  1. funny
  2. humorous
  3. comedic
  4. amusing
  5. comical
  6. ridiculous
  7. comic
  8. hysterical
Adjective
  • Watching improv is reliably funny because performers work without a script.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026
  • But figuring out how to do all that while being funny at the same time?
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 30 June 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • His after-game interviews were always intelligent and sometimes humorous.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • The original intent was to show female athletes standing strong against unsportsmanlike conduct in a humorous way … nothing more.
    — Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026
Definition of humorous
Adjective
  • Ray had a somewhat comedic moment in the bottom of the first, taking a spill after tagging first base when recording a 3-1 putout.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 July 2026
  • Sandler's participation in the newlyweds' wedding ceremony comes nearly a year after the comedic actor co-starred in Happy Gilmore 2 with Kelce, who had a cameo in the sequel film.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
Definition of comedic
Adjective
  • Cavill, absent from the proceedings for long stretches, remains a sturdy presence as the most buff screen Sherlock ever, while Helena Bonham Carter is again reliably amusing as Enola and Sherlock’s sardonic mother Eudoria.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026
  • Elmosnino is an amusing villain, making his most self-serving machinations sound reasonable.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of amusing
Adjective
  • Each installment feels like a fever dream of absurd fear mongering about crime, meant to hype Knightscope’s brand of high-tech surveillance and divorced from reality in unintentionally comical ways.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 24 June 2026
  • But for all the manosphere poking and parodying, Kyle University isn’t solely there to gather laughs or generate comical confusion.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 24 June 2026
Definition of comical
Adjective
  • Houssem Aouar finally spied a gap in the Austrian defence and sent Mahrez through to score, sparking jubilation before Sasa Kalajdzic’s header confirmed a ridiculous ending to a game that was dramatic, bleak and then dramatic again.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • This laptop can absolutely handle a ridiculous number of tabs.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 4 July 2026
Definition of ridiculous
Adjective
  • The hot new subject areas were comic-book studies, science fiction, and children’s literature.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Brown has matured nicely in the role, exhibiting a newfound steeliness and steadily increasing comic chops.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026
Definition of comic
Adjective
  • Filming a comedy is so much fun, and every day is hysterical — even the long days.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026
  • Things got worse when the officer found her hysterical and covered in blood, with a cut umbilical cord coming out of her pants and an unresponsive baby in the car with her.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026
Definition of hysterical

Browse Nearby Words

hiking
hilarious
hilariousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hilarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hilarious. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hilarious

Nglish: Translation of hilarious for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All