What does funner mean?
"Funner" is the informal, nonstandard comparative of the adjective "fun," used to say that one thing is more enjoyable or entertaining than another — as in "the fair was funner than the movies." It belongs firmly to casual speech: dictionaries and style guides still reject it, recommending "more fun" instead, largely because "fun" began life as a noun and only became an adjective in the twentieth century, leaving English without an agreed comparative form. Despite this official disapproval, "funner" is common in everyday conversation, particularly among younger speakers in the United States, and its playful, slightly rebellious character has made it a favorite example in debates about how grammar evolves. Its counterpart superlative, "funnest," raises similar objections. For formal writing, "more fun" remains the safe choice; among friends, "funner" is unlikely to raise anything more than a smile.
adjectiveFunner is an informal, nonstandard comparative of the adjective "fun," meaning more enjoyable or amusing than something else. It is widely used colloquially but is not accepted in standard formal English, where "more fun" is preferred.
- As the informal comparative of "fun": more enjoyable or entertaining than something else.
"The bumper cars were definitely funner than the ferris wheel."
"Everyone agreed that the beach trip was far funner than staying home."
"Kids these days insist that video games are just funner than board games."
Grammarians have argued about "funner" for decades — because "fun" switched from noun to adjective so recently that English never agreed on how it should compare.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of funner
"Funner" derives from "fun," which appeared in English in the late seventeenth century, first as a verb meaning to cheat or hoax and then as a noun meaning amusement, probably from "fon," an older English term for a fool. "Fun" was gradually reinterpreted as an adjective during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and once that shift took hold, speakers naturally began forming comparatives from it directly, producing "funner." Because this development was organic rather than sanctioned by dictionaries, "funner" remains labeled informal, though it shares its roots with related words such as "funny."
Related word forms
How funner is actually used
"Funner" is informal and nonstandard; style guides and formal writing prefer "more fun" because "fun" was historically a noun, and nouns normally require "more" for comparison. As "fun" has become fully established as an adjective, however, "funner" and even "funnest" have grown increasingly common in casual speech, especially among younger speakers in the US.
Easily confused with funner
"Fun" is the base adjective meaning enjoyable, while "funner" is an informal comparative claiming something is more enjoyable than something else.
"Funnier" is the standard comparative of "funny" (causing more laughter), whereas "funner" informally compares overall enjoyment rather than humor.