hilarity

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English

Etymology

From Latin hilaritas, "cheerfulness", from adjective hilaris, "cheerful", ultimately from Greek, + noun of state suffix -tas.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɪˈlæɹɪ.ti/
  • (file)

Noun

hilarity (countable and uncountable, plural hilarities)

  1. (uncountable) A great amount of amusement, usually accompanied by laughter.
    The duck escaped into the children's party, and hilarity ensued.
  2. (countable) Something that induces laughter.
    • 1999, Vincent Canby, Janet Maslin, Peter M. Nichols, The New York times guide to the best 1000 movies ever made:
      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.
    • 2005, Library journal, volume 130, numbers 8-13, page 122:
      Many other Latin imports have become staples of our diet, like the burrito, which in Spanish means "little donkey." What other food-related hilarities are we missing out on?

Synonyms

Related terms

Translations

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