amusing

amusing — adjective

1. If something is amusing, it makes you smile or laugh in a gentle, enjoyable way,

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

If something is amusing, it makes you smile or laugh in a gentle, enjoyable way, rather than being seriously funny like a stand-up joke.

Example

Grandma told us an amusing story about her first day driving a tractor.

amusing + noun: amusing story / anecdote

Jin found his cat's reaction to the cucumber highly amusing.

find + object + amusing

Common collocations
  • amusing story
  • amusing anecdote
  • amusing incident
  • mildly amusing
  • highly amusing
  • find something amusing
Synonyms
  • funny

    stronger; can mean both 'humorous' and 'strange'

  • entertaining

    broader; covers anything enjoyable to watch, not just laughter

  • humorous

    more formal; often used of writing or speeches

  • comical

    stresses a silly or absurd quality that makes people laugh

Antonyms
  • boring

    fails to entertain at all

  • dull

    lacks any spark or interest

  • tedious

    long and tiring as well as uninteresting

Grammar Patterns

find + something + amusing

it + be + amusing + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Often softer than 'funny' or 'hilarious' — suggests a quiet smile rather than loud laughter. Frequently appears after 'find' with an object: 'I found the film amusing.'

Common Mistakes

I am amusing by his joke.
I am amused by his joke.
use the -ed form 'amused' for the person who feels the reaction; 'amusing' describes the thing causing it.
The party was very amusing last night, we danced until 3am.
The party was great fun last night, we danced until 3am.
'amusing' suggests gentle laughter, not loud excitement; use 'fun' for lively events.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe things that make people smile or laugh, but they differ in intensity and register. 'Amusing' is the gentlest — it suggests a quiet smile or soft chuckle, often used in slightly polite or understated contexts ('I found her speech mildly amusing'). 'Funny' is the everyday, all-purpose word and can range from a small giggle to a big laugh; it can also mean 'odd' ('that's funny, I left my keys here'). 'Hilarious' is the strongest — something hilarious causes loud, helpless laughter. 'Humorous' is more formal and often describes writing, speeches, or a person's outlook. 'Entertaining' is broader still: an entertaining film may be exciting or moving, not just funny. So you might call a TED talk humorous, a sitcom entertaining, a stand-up routine hilarious, and a colleague's polite anecdote amusing.

amusing ↗funny ↗entertaining ↗humorous ↗hilarious ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • amusing story
  • amusing anecdote
  • amusing incident
  • amusing way
  • amusing remark

Adverbs

  • mildly amusing
  • highly amusing
  • vaguely amusing
  • genuinely amusing
  • rather amusing

Phrases

  • find something amusing
  • see the amusing side

Prepositions

  • amusing to (someone)

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Comes from the verb 'amuse', which entered English in the late 1400s from Old French 'amuser', meaning 'to stare stupidly' or 'to cause to muse'. The original sense was 'to distract or deceive', and the modern meaning of 'entertain pleasantly' developed in the 1600s. The '-ing' form 'amusing' followed naturally as the present participle, settling into its current sense of 'mildly funny or entertaining' by the 1700s.