fun ‧ ny S1 W3 /ˈfʌni/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative funnier , superlative funniest )
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: fun ]
1 . AMUSING making you laugh
funny story/joke/film etc
Do you remember any funny stories about work?
hilariously/hysterically/wickedly funny
a wickedly funny scene from the film
the funniest man in Britain
If this is your idea of a joke, I don’t find it at all funny.
Luckily, when I explained the situation, he saw the funny side (=recognized that it was partly funny) .
His laughter stopped her mid-sentence. ‘What’s so funny?’ she demanded.
It’s not funny (=don’t laugh) , Paul; poor Teresa was nearly in tears.
► Do not use funny to mean ‘enjoyable’. Use fun : The picnic was really fun.
2 . STRANGE unusual, strange, or difficult to explain:
I had a funny feeling something was going to happen.
What’s that funny smell?
It’s funny how you remember the words of songs, even ones you don’t really like.
It’s funny (that)
It’s funny that the kids are so quiet.
That’s funny. I was sure I had $5 in my purse, but it’s not there now.
People tell me I ran the greatest race of my life, but the funny thing is I can’t remember much about it.
It’s a funny old world (=strange or unusual things happen in life) .
3 . DISHONEST appearing to be illegal, dishonest, or wrong:
There’s something funny going on here.
Remember, Marvin, no funny business while we’re out.
4 . a funny look if you give someone a funny look, you look at them in a way that shows you think they are behaving strangely:
I hunkered down, ignoring the funny looks from passers-by.
5 . ILL feeling slightly ill:
I always feel funny after a long car ride.
6 . CRAZY British English informal slightly crazy:
After his wife died he went a bit funny.
7 . go funny informal if a machine, piece of equipment etc goes funny, it stops working properly:
I just turned it on and the screen went all funny.
8 . very funny! spoken used when someone is laughing at you or playing a trick and you do not think it is amusing:
Very funny! Who’s hidden my car keys?
9 . I’m not being funny (but) British English spoken used when you are serious or do not want to offend someone:
I’m not being funny, but we haven’t got much time.
10 . funny little something used to describe something you like because it is small, unusual, or interesting:
The town centre is crammed with funny little shops.
his funny little grin
11 . funny peculiar or funny ha-ha? British English , funny weird/strange or funny ha-ha? American English used when someone has described something as funny and you want to know whether they mean it is strange or amusing:
‘Tim’s a funny guy.’ ‘Funny weird or funny ha-ha?’
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THESAURUS
▪ funny making you laugh:
John told me a really funny joke.
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She’s very talented and funny.
▪ amusing especially written funny and enjoyable. Amusing is more formal than funny . It is often used when something is a little funny and makes you smile, rather than laugh:
an amusing anecdote
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He found the whole incident rather amusing.
▪ humorous intended to be funny – used about stories, films, articles etc that have situations that are a little funny:
humorous stories
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The movie is meant to be humorous.
▪ witty using words in a funny and clever way:
witty remarks
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How witty!
▪ hilarious /hɪˈleəriəs $ -ˈler-/ ( also hysterical informal ) extremely funny:
The children thought it was hilarious.
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The movie has some hilarious scenes.
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It was hysterical! You should have seen his face!
▪ comical funny in a strange or silly way – often used when something is not intended to be funny:
It was quite comical watching him trying to dance.
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her own comical attempts at painting
▪ comic [only before noun] a comic film, play, novel etc is intended to be funny:
a comic drama
▪ light-hearted done for amusement or enjoyment, and not intended to be serious:
The programme is a light-hearted look at recent political events.
▪ comedy noun [countable] a film, play, or television programme that is intended to be funny:
a comedy by Shakespeare
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She has appeared in several television comedies.
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a new comedy series on Channel 4