What does laughy mean?
Laughy is an informal adjective meaning full of laughter, cheerful, and readily amused. It can describe a person, such as a laughy child or a laughy friend, as well as a voice, mood, or atmosphere. The word often conveys an infectious, lighthearted quality and may suggest that someone laughs easily or is in a playful mood. In a second, less common sense, laughy means amusing or funny, especially when describing an event, performance, or situation. Although the word is chiefly associated with North American English, it is understandable elsewhere. It is more conversational and expressive than terms such as humorous or cheerful, and its use can imply that the subject is especially youthful, exuberant, or prone to finding things funny. In writing, laughy works best in informal descriptions of people, behavior, and lighthearted scenes.
Full of laughter or amusement; merry and inclined to laugh.
"Her laughy personality made the long journey enjoyable."
Informal; chiefly North American. Often used to describe a person's manner, voice, or mood.
Amusing or funny; capable of provoking laughter.
"The film contains several laughy moments."
This sense is less common than the sense describing a person or atmosphere as merry.
Laughy captures the infectious quality of laughter: it describes not only what is funny, but the person or atmosphere that seems ready to laugh at any moment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does laughy come from?
Laughy is an English formation built from the verb laugh and the suffix -y, meaning characterized by or inclined to. It belongs to a family of English words connected with laughter, including laughter, laughable, laughsome, and laugher. The formation reflects the longstanding tendency in English to create descriptive adjectives ending in -y, as in friendly or lively. The word's meaning has developed toward the informal sense of being merry, amusement-prone, or funny.
How laughy is actually used
Laughy is informal and most common in North American English. It may sound affectionate or lightly teasing when applied to a person's behavior, and it is often used to describe a person, voice, or mood rather than a specific joke.
Easily confused with laughy
Laughy describes a person, voice, or atmosphere as cheerful or full of laughter, whereas laughable usually describes something that causes laughter or is funny.