Hilarity

//hɪˈlæɹɪ.ti// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A great amount of amusement, usually accompanied by much laughter. uncountable

    "When the new baby's rubber duck squeaked at the wedding, hilarity ensued."

  2. 2
    great merriment wordnet
  3. 3
    Something that induces much laughter. countable

    "Think it not curious if we don't seem to be as sidesplittingly impressed with the hilarities in this picture as its promotion might lead you to expect. Hilarity is in it—hilarity at its best—as would be almost mandatory in any film with Miss Holliday."

Synonyms

All synonyms
cheerfulnessgaietygleegleemerrimentmirth

Example

More examples

"Vulgarity can be a source of hilarity."

Etymology

From Latin hilaritās (“cheerfulness”), from hilaris (“cheerful”), from Ancient Greek ἱλαρός (hilarós, “cheerful”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.