humor
humor Lexical Profile
humor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American The quality of being amusing, comic, or funny, especially as expressed in literature, speech, or everyday situations.
"The novel uses gentle humor to explore the complexities of family life."
American The ability to perceive, appreciate, or express what is funny or amusing.
"Her quick sense of humor helped ease the tension during the difficult negotiation."
American A temporary state of mind, mood, or temperament.
"The coach was in a foul humor after the team lost the championship game."
American In ancient and medieval physiology, any of the four cardinal bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) once believed to determine a person's physical health and temperament, or a fluid such as the aqueous or vitreous humor of the eye.
"The ophthalmologist measured the pressure of the aqueous humor inside the patient's eye."
• verb
American To comply with the wishes, whims, or ideas of someone in order to keep them content or avoid conflict, regardless of how unreasonable they may seem.
"She decided to humor her younger brother by listening patiently to his elaborate story."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled "humor" in American English and "humour" in British and Commonwealth English, though the adjective "humorous" drops the second "u" in all varieties.
• Rhymes for humor
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Old French from Latin umor (moisture or fluid), its modern sense evolved from ancient and medieval medicine, which held that a person's temperament and health were governed by the balance of four bodily fluids—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile—known as the four humors.