hilarious
gb/hɪlˈɛɹiəs/ us/hɪlˈɛɹiəs/
B1
English
~ 8800
Senses
0 senses
adjective
informal
B1
property
1
extremely funny; causing big laughter
Very, very funny and making people laugh a lot.
Usage pattern:
[someone] finds [something] hilarious
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "very hilarious," but "hilarious" already means "extremely funny," so using another strong intensifier like "very" or "extremely" is usually unnecessary or sounds awkward. It is also sometimes confused with "happy," but "hilarious" describes something that causes laughter, not a general feeling of happiness.
Synonyms
hysterical (Similar strong meaning, also informal; can sound slightly more emotional or exaggerated.)
|
side-splitting (Very strong and vivid; more colorful and less common in everyday speech.)
|
very funny (More neutral and simple; less intense and less expressive than "hilarious.")
Antonyms
boring (Describes something that does not hold interest and certainly does not make people laugh.)
|
unfunny (Direct opposite in terms of humor, but used less often in everyday speech.)
Collocations
absolutely hilarious
|really hilarious
|find [something] hilarious
|hilarious joke
|hilarious story
|hilarious video
Themes
emotions
|humor
|daily life
|social
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- That movie was absolutely hilarious—I couldn't stop laughing.
- She told a hilarious story about her first day at work.
- His impression of the teacher was so accurate and hilarious that the whole class burst out laughing.
- The comments under that video are even more hilarious than the video itself.
- Your costume is hilarious; everyone is going to love it at the party.
Learner examples
- The comedian was so hilarious that people cried with laughter.
- I think this TV show is hilarious, but my parents do not like it.
- Her message was short but hilarious, and it made my day.
- We watched a hilarious video and laughed for ten minutes.
- He makes hilarious faces when someone takes his photo.
Grammar
Dictionary form
hilarious
IPA
GB/hɪlˈɛɹiəs/
US/hɪlˈɛɹiəs/
Syllables & stress
hil - ari - ous (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ari)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: hilarious
Word family
Core family
hilariously
adverb
Related words
hilarity
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unfunny
adjective
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.