Humour: meaning, definitions and examples

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humour

 

[ หˆhjuหmษ™r ]

Noun / Verb
Oxford 3000
Context #1 | Noun

sense of amusement

Humour is the ability to find things funny, the way people react to things that make them laugh, or the ways in which different cultures find things amusing. It is a quality that makes something amusing or entertaining.

Synonyms

amusement, comedy, fun, wit

Examples of usage

  • He has a great sense of humour and always makes me laugh.
  • British humour is known for being dry and sarcastic.
  • She enjoys watching stand-up comedy because she appreciates clever humour.
Context #2 | Verb

to amuse or entertain

To humour someone means to indulge, entertain, or agree with them, especially when you do not necessarily want to do so. It can also mean to adapt to someone's mood or whim in order to keep them content.

Synonyms

accommodate, entertain, indulge, pamper

Examples of usage

  • She humoured her little sister by playing dress-up with her.
  • The boss humoured his employee's strange request to work from home.

Translations

Translations of the word "humour" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น humor

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคนเคพเคธเฅเคฏ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Humor

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ humor

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ะณัƒะผะพั€

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ humor

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ใƒฆใƒผใƒขใ‚ข

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท humour

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ humor

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท mizah

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์œ ๋จธ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุฏุนุงุจุฉ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ humor

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ humor

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๅนฝ้ป˜

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ humor

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ hรบmor

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ำ™ะทั–ะป

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒ˜แƒฃแƒ›แƒแƒ แƒ˜

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ yumor

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ humor

Word origin

The word 'humour' originated from the Old French 'umor', which came from the Latin 'umorem' meaning 'moisture' or 'fluid'. In medieval times, it was believed that a balance of four bodily fluids or 'humours' (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) determined a person's temperament and health. Over time, the word evolved to represent a person's disposition or temperament, eventually leading to its modern meaning of amusement or the ability to find things funny.

See also: hum, human, humble, humid, humor.

Word Frequency Rank

At #7,330 in frequency, this word belongs to advanced vocabulary. It's less common than core vocabulary but important for sophisticated expression.