comical

English

Etymology

From Middle English comicalle, from Latin cōmicus + Middle English -alle (modern -al). By surface analysis, comic +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒmɪkəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmɪkəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

comical (comparative more comical, superlative most comical)

1. (archaic) Originally, relating to comedy.

   It was a comical performance.

2. Funny, whimsically amusing.

   The tutor excelled in comical scoldings.

3. Laughable; ridiculous.

   He's just put salt in his tea instead of sugar. What a comical error!

   • 2016 January 30, “Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination”, in The New York Times, retrieved 30 January 2016:

     Mr. Sanders has scored some rhetorical points against Mrs. Clinton for her longstanding ties to Wall Street, but she has responded well, and it would be comical to watch any of the Republican candidates try to make that case, given that they are all virtually tied to, or actually part of, the business establishment.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:funny
• (comedy): comic, comedic

Derived terms

• comicality
• comically
• comicalness
• heroicomical
• semicomical
• uncomical

 

Translations

relating to comedy

• Belarusian: камі́чны (kamíčny)
• Bulgarian: коми́чен (bg) (komíčen)
• Finnish: komedia-, koominen (fi)
• French: comique (fr)
• German: komödisch, komödial, komisch (de)
• Hebrew: קוֹמִי (he) (kómi)
• Latvian: komisks, komēdijas
• Polish: komiczny (pl)
• Portuguese: cómico (pt) (Portugal), cômico (pt) (Brazil)
• Russian: коми́ческий (ru) (komíčeskij)
• Ukrainian: комі́чний (komíčnyj)

being funny, whimsically amusing

• Belarusian: сме́шны (smjéšny), заба́ўны (zabáŭny), паце́шны (pacjéšny), камі́чны (kamíčny)
• Bulgarian: сме́шен (bg) (sméšen), заба́вен (bg) (zabáven)
• Dutch: grappig (nl), komisch (nl), amusant (nl)
• Finnish: huvittava (fi), koominen (fi)
• German: komisch (de), lustig (de)
• Hebrew: קוֹמִי (he) (kómi), מַצְחִיק (matskhík)
• Latvian: komisks, jocīgs, smieklīgs, humoristisks
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: komisk (no)

  Nynorsk: komisk

• Polish: śmieszny (pl), zabawny (pl)
• Portuguese: cómico (pt) (Portugal), cômico (pt) (Brazil)
• Russian: смешно́й (ru) (smešnój), коми́чный (ru) (komíčnyj), заба́вный (ru) (zabávnyj), поте́шный (ru) (potéšnyj)
• Spanish: cómico (es)
• Ukrainian: смішни́й (smišnýj), поті́шний (potíšnyj), комі́чний (komíčnyj)
• Welsh: digrif (cy)
• Yiddish: קאָמיש (komish)

being laughable, ridiculous

• Bulgarian: шегови́т (bg) (šegovít), чуда́т (bg) (čudát)
• Dutch: komisch (nl), lachwekkend (nl), hilarisch (nl)
• Finnish: huvittava (fi), naurettava (fi)
• German: lächerlich (de), komisch (de) (now means "strange")
• Hebrew: מגוחך / מְגֻחָךְ (he) (m'gukhákh)
• Irish: barrúil
• Norman: risibl'ye
• Portuguese: cómico (pt) (Portugal), cômico (pt) (Brazil)
• Scottish Gaelic: èibhinn, àbhachdach
• Spanish: cómico (es)
• Ukrainian: смішни́й (smišnýj)
• Yiddish: קאָמיש (komish)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} komika (1,2), ^{(please verify)} amuza (1), ^{(please verify)} ridiga (2)
• French: ^{(please verify)} comique (fr) (1,2)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} comic (1,2)

See also

• comic

Anagrams

• Climaco