hilarious
adjective
VIDEO FOR HILARIOUS
WATCH NOW: What Is The Difference Between "Hysterical" And "Hilarious"?
The other day, I heard "hysterical" used as an insult ... how does this funny word also act as an insult, particularly to women?
Origin of hilarious
SYNONYMS FOR hilarious
OTHER WORDS FROM hilarious
Words nearby hilarious
VOCAB BUILDER
What does hilarious mean?
Hilarious means extremely funny, like literally lol funny.
Hilarious is most commonly used to describe someone or something (like a joke or a movie) as super funny. Much less commonly, it used to mean very merry or cheerful, as in a hilarious celebration.
Example: The movie was absolutely hilarious—I was laughing so hard at one point that I was crying.
Where does hilarious come from?
English got hilarious around 1820—well, that’s at least when the first records of its use are from. It comes from the Latin word hilar(is) (meaning “glad” or “cheerful”), which was derived from the Greek hilarós.
Hilarious is used to describe things that are considered the pinnacle of funniness—things that make us laugh out loud, and a lot. Some jokes or memes might be amusing or a little funny, but something that’s truly hilarious is on a different level. Sometimes, people describe things that are hilarious as hysterical, which can mean “causing uncontrollable laughter.” However, hysterical can also be used in a very negative way to describe someone as uncontrollably and irrationally emotional, which isn’t funny at all (especially when used to demean women).
Less commonly, hilarious is used to describe a situation as being a really good time because it’s filled with merriment. This meaning of hilarious is more akin to the related noun hilarity, which means “merriment” or “cheerfulness.” Hilarity is not synonymous with the noun hilariousness, which typically means “funniness.” Of course, hilariousness often leads to hilarity!
One last thing: hilarious is sometimes used sarcastically to describe something that was intended to be funny but that the speaker sees as very unfunny, as in Wow, thanks for replacing my shoelaces with ramen noodles, you jerks—real hilarious. [Editor’s note: That is actually pretty hilarious.]
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms of hilarious?
- hilariously (adverb)
- hilariousness (noun)
- hyperhilarious (adjective)
- hyperhilariously (adverb)
What are some synonyms for hilarious?
What are some words that share a root or word element with hilarious?
What are some words that often get used in discussing hilarious?
How is hilarious used in real life?
Hilarious is always used positively to describe something that’s funny or, less commonly, a lot of fun.
If the cities just owned their sports teams directly, billionaires wouldn't be able to threaten to move to blackmail fans for stadium money.
Plus…they could have the head coaches run for office like a politician and that would be hilarious.
— Existential Comics (@existentialcoms) June 5, 2019
Keke Palmer is simultaneously 25 and 95 and that’s why she’s so hilarious
— Rae Sanni (@raesanni) September 18, 2019
some of y'all think riverdale is bad, and you're right. but that does not change the fact that it is one of the most hilarious shows to exist
— rosie (@kissings) March 2, 2020
Try using hilarious!
Which of the following terms is the closest synonym for hilarious?
A. amusing
B. serious
C. super funny
D. comical