What does "humour" mean?
The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.
Humour
/ˈhjuː.mə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.
- Grammar: humour is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bodily fluid, mood, temper, wit.
- Useful contrasts: bad mood, bore, dehydration.
- Usage evidence: He has a great sense of humour.
How to use "humour"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "humour" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "humour" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "humour" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "humour" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "humour" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bodily fluid" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "humour", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The quality of being amusing, comical, funny. UK, uncountable, usually
"She has a great sense of humour, and I always laugh a lot whenever we get together."
- 2 the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous wordnet
- 3 A mood, especially a bad mood; a temporary state of mind or disposition brought upon by an event; an abrupt illogical inclination or whim. UK, uncountable, usually
"He was in a particularly vile humour that afternoon."
- 4 the quality of being funny wordnet
- 5 Any of the fluids in an animal body, especially the four "cardinal humours" of blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm that were believed to control the health and mood of the human body. UK, archaic, historical, uncountable, usually
"A humour is a liquid or fluent part of the body, comprehended in it, for the preservation of it; and is either innate or born with us, or adventitious and acquisite."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 the liquid parts of the body wordnet
- 7 Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour. UK, uncountable, usually
- 8 (Middle Ages) one of the four fluids in the body whose balance was believed to determine your emotional and physical state wordnet
- 9 Moist vapour, moisture. UK, obsolete, uncountable, usually
- 10 a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter wordnet
- 11 a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling wordnet
Verb
- 1 To pacify by indulging. UK, transitive
"I know you don't believe my story, but humour me for a minute and imagine it to be true."
- 2 put into a good mood wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"He has a great sense of humour."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "humour"?
Common synonyms include: bodily fluid, mood, temper, wit, accommodate, amuse.
How do you use "humour" in a sentence?
He has a great sense of humour.
How do you pronounce "humour"?
Pronounced /ˈhjuː.mə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
From Middle English humour, from Old French humor, humour, from Latin hūmor, correctly ūmor (“liquid”), from hūmeō, correctly ūmeō (“to be moist”). The h in these words, which was silent in late Classical Latin, is folk etymological, due to the erroneous association with the word humus (“soil”). The shift in meaning "liquid" > "mood" is attributed to the classical system of physiology, where human behaviour is regulated by four bodily humours (fluids). The sense "mood" gave rise to the verb sense "to give in to someone's mood or whim" and, by narrowing of meaning, the sense "wit".