funny

The word “funny” means causing laughter or amusement. In plain terms, either "makes you laugh" or "odd/suspicious" — the two senses look identical but mean quite different things.

“Funny” is pronounced FUH-nee (/ˈfʌni/ in IPA).

Here is “funny” used in a sentence: “The comedian told a really funny joke about airline food.”

Words with a similar meaning to “funny” include amusing, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical and droll.

The opposite of “funny” — its antonyms — is humorless.

Depending on how it is used, “funny” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “funny” dates back to around 1700. From "fun" plus the adjective suffix "-y," first recorded in the 1700s.

“Funny” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

Funny has two everyday meanings. Funny ha-ha means amusing or laughter-causing. Funny peculiar, or funny strange, means odd, unusual, or slightly off, as in the milk tastes funny. Context usually makes it clear, but people sometimes ask 'ha-ha or peculiar?' to be sure which one is meant.

Both mean amusing, but the tone differs. Funny is casual and covers anything that makes you laugh, from a joke to a silly face. Humorous is more formal and often describes something cleverly or gently amusing, like a humorous essay. Funny is stronger and more everyday; humorous is milder.

In the amusing sense, opposites include serious, dull, boring, and unfunny. In the strange sense, the opposite is normal or ordinary. So a comedy that falls flat is unfunny, while something that seems perfectly usual is the opposite of funny meaning odd or peculiar.

Funny is an informal, everyday word, suitable for casual speech and writing. In more formal contexts, writers often choose humorous, amusing, or witty instead. That said, funny is widely understood and perfectly acceptable in most situations; it simply carries a relaxed, conversational tone.