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Humouring: meaning, definitions and examples

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humouring

 

[ ˈhjuːmərɪŋ ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

making someone laugh

Humouring someone means to amuse or entertain them, often by making jokes or using lighthearted banter. It can also involve going along with someone's ideas or requests, even if you don't entirely agree with them, in order to please them or avoid confrontation. The act of humouring can vary in intensity from light teasing to more serious efforts at making someone feel better. This concept is often used in social settings where maintaining harmony and positivity is crucial.

Synonyms

amusing, entertaining, pleasing, soothing

Examples of usage

  • She was humouring her friends with silly stories.
  • The teacher was humouring the students to lighten the mood.
  • He humoured his colleague's strange suggestions during the meeting.

Translations

Translations of the word "humouring" in other languages:

🇵🇹 humorando

🇮🇳 हास्यपूर्ण

🇩🇪 humorvoll

🇮🇩 menghibur

🇺🇦 жартуючи

🇵🇱 humorystyczny

🇯🇵 ユーモラスな

🇫🇷 humoristique

🇪🇸 humorístico

🇹🇷 mizahi

🇰🇷 유머러스한

🇸🇦 فكاهي

🇨🇿 humorný

🇸🇰 humorný

🇨🇳 幽默的

🇸🇮 humorističen

🇮🇸 húmorískur

🇰🇿 әзіл-қалжың

🇬🇪 კომიკური

🇦🇿 humoristik

🇲🇽 humorístico

Etymology

The term 'humour' originates from the Latin word 'humor', which came from the term 'humorism', a theory in ancient medicine believed to define health as a balance among four bodily fluids: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. The notion of balancing these humours was thought to affect not just physical health but also temperament and personality. The evolution of 'humour' in the English language began in the late Middle Ages, where it referred to a person's mood or disposition. Over time, the meaning expanded to encompass the capacity to perceive and express what is amusing or comical. The adaptation of the word into the verb form 'humouring' highlights the social function of humour, particularly in relationships, as it denotes both the act of providing amusement and the process of yielding to someone else's desires for the sake of social harmony.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #37,606, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.