comical
/'kɔmikəl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Arousing or provoking laughter; funny: Describes something that causes amusement or mirth, often through absurdity, incongruity, or a lighthearted sense of humor.
- Amusingly odd or peculiar: Can describe a person, situation, or thing that is funny because it is strange or ridiculous.
Usage
The adjective "comical" is used to describe something that is intentionally or unintentionally funny. It often implies a visual or situational humor that is more about provoking a smile or chuckle than deep, complex jokes. It can describe a person's appearance, behavior, or a situation that unfolds in a humorous way.
Examples
- Describing a situation or event:
- The puppy's attempts to catch its own tail were comical.
- There was a comical misunderstanding when they both reached for the last slice of cake.
- Describing a person or their appearance:
- He had a comical expression of utter confusion on his face.
- The clown's comical walk made the children laugh.
- Describing an object or quality:
- She wore a comical hat with giant feathers.
Advanced Usage
- "Comical relief": A humorous scene, character, or dialogue in an otherwise serious work to provide temporary relief from tension. (Note: The more common term is "comic relief").
- The porter's scene in Macbeth provides some much-needed comical relief.
- Used to describe an ironic or absurd situation that is funny in hindsight.
- It was comical how all our careful plans fell apart in the first five minutes.
Variants and Related Words
- Comically (adverb): In a funny or amusing manner.
- He comically tripped over his own shoelaces.
- Comic (adjective): Related to comedy; causing laughter. (Often used interchangeably with "comical," though "comic" can also refer specifically to the genre of comedy, e.g., comic strip, comic actor).
- Comedy (noun): A genre of entertainment intended to be humorous.
Synonyms
- Funny: Causing laughter or amusement.
- Amusing: Entertaining and enjoyable.
- Humorous: Characterized by humor; funny.
- Hilarious: Extremely funny.
- Laughable: So absurd it provokes laughter or derision.
Antonyms
- Serious: Grave, solemn, not funny.
- Tragic: Involving great sadness or disaster.
- Solemn: Formal and dignified; not cheerful or lighthearted.
Idioms and Phrases
- "The comical side of things": The humorous aspect of a situation.
- Even during the crisis, he always tried to see the comical side of things.
- "A comical turn of events": A situation that develops in a surprisingly funny way.
- The meeting took a comical turn of events when the CEO's dog ran into the room.
Adjective
- arousing or provoking laughter
- an amusing film with a steady stream of pranks and pratfalls
- an amusing fellow
- a comic hat
- a comical look of surprise
- funny stories that made everybody laugh
- a very funny writer
- it would have been laughable if it hadn't hurt so much
- a mirthful experience
- risible courtroom antics