What does humor mean?
Humor is the quality that makes a remark, story, performance, or situation amusing. It may refer to a particular expression of comedy, as in a novel distinguished by sharp humor, or to a person's capacity to perceive and appreciate jokes, as in someone with a good sense of humor. The term can suggest wit, playfulness, irony, or gentle teasing, although humor may also be dark, satirical, or critical. Although now associated primarily with amusement, humor historically referred to a person's mood or temperament and, still more remotely, to the bodily fluids believed to influence that temperament. The related verb is comparatively uncommon: to humor someone means to accommodate or indulge their wishes or feelings. In American English the word is spelled humor; the traditional British spelling is humour. The modern noun is generally uncountable, and plural forms now chiefly occur in historical or literary contexts.
The quality of being funny or amusing, especially in speech, writing, or behavior; a joking or playful quality. By extension, it means a person's ability or tendency to perceive and appreciate jokes.
"The comedian's humor appealed to a broad audience."
Usually uncountable. The plural humors is now chiefly historical or literary, especially in references to bodily fluids or temperaments.
To accommodate or indulge someone's wishes, feelings, or peculiarities.
"A good host knows how to humor a nervous guest."
Formal or archaic; it is much less common in contemporary usage.
Rare in the modern sense of being amusing; chiefly historical or literary, especially when referring to bodily fluids or temperaments.
"Shakespeare's characters frequently speak of the four humors."
Humor began as a bodily fluid, became a mood, and finally became funny—the English language's most cheerful plot twist.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does humor come from?
Humor entered Middle English through Anglo-French humour, a borrowing of Latin humor, meaning “liquid” or “moisture,” which was derived from humus, meaning “earth.” Medieval medical theory held that the body's fluids, or humors, shaped a person's temperament, so the word came to mean mood or disposition. During the early modern period, it developed the modern sense of the ability to see or produce amusement and hence came to mean something funny.
Related word forms
How humor is actually used
The noun is normally uncountable. In American English it is spelled humor, while British English normally uses humour. The verb is formal or archaic and means to accommodate or indulge someone's wishes or feelings.
Easily confused with humor
A rumor is an unverified report or claim, whereas humor is a quality of being amusing or a person's ability to appreciate jokes.