Hilarious Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms hilarious American [hi-lair-ee-uhs, -lar-, hahy-] / hɪˈlɛər i əs, -ˈlær-, haɪ- /

adjective

1. arousing great merriment; extremely funny.

   a hilarious story; a hilarious old movie.

2. boisterously merry or cheerful.

   a hilarious celebration.

   Synonyms: high-spirited, rollicking, jolly, lively Antonyms: solemn, serious, sad

3. merry; cheerful.

hilarious British / hɪˈlɛərɪəs /

adjective

1. very funny or merry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• hilariously adverb
• hilariousness noun
• hyperhilarious adjective
• hyperhilariously adverb
• hyperhilariousness noun
• unhilarious adjective
• unhilariously adverb
• unhilariousness noun

Etymology

Origin of hilarious

1815–25; < Latin hilar ( is ), hilar ( us ) cheerful (< Greek hilarós ) + -ious

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"We had a lot of fun shooting. And we thought it was hilarious while we filmed!"

From BBC

“It’s raunchy, and hilarious without being just joke-punchline, and empowering, and you leave feeling like you got a glimpse into who she is.”

From Los Angeles Times

But there’s little joy in the lives of the young Russians we meet in “Mother Russia,” a dark, frequently hilarious comedy by Lauren Yee at the Signature Theatre.

From The Wall Street Journal

She said she thought it was "hilarious" when she saw the gift card balance minus her one drink.

From BBC

He did hilarious impressions of people like his cousin Fagin Springer, a singing evangelist from Virginia, and the tough old cowhands on his uncle’s Montana ranch.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amusing
• comical
• entertaining
• humorous
• laughable
• lively
• priceless
• uproarious

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.