CHORTLES Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

chortles 1 of 2

noun

plural of chortle

as in chuckles

an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander

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chortles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chortle

as in laughs

to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of chortles

Noun

Shadow was there for almost an hour before hearing Jackie’s chortles. — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026

Verb

The blackbird really chortles away. — Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chortles

Noun

Brian Leonard’s smartly funny ode to his difficult daughter — a child whose behavior was so problematic, the family cycled through 28 therapists — offers plenty of chuckles, even with key questions left unanswered.

— Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
The risk, though, with horror-comedy—with dinging from chuckles to shrieks and back again—is always an evacuated center.

— James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of chuckles

Verb

His cutlery’s subtly unusual proportions manage to be elegant and playful at the same time, like that perfect joke that lands gracefully at a cocktail party, where everyone laughs and nobody chortles.

— Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
The rest of the video cuts to the pro getting his shaggy platinum blonde hair snipped and shaved down to a shorter look by the reality star, who laughs multiple times while taking charge of Appleton’s transformation.

— Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of laughs

Noun

Her giggles kept interrupting the tune through much of her performance, and soon Pioneer Hall was laughing with her and cheering her through it.

— Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 18 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, donning night-vision giggles, Knoxville gleefully attacks them with trash can lids and tasers.

— Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of giggles

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chortled

chortles

chortling

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“Chortles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chortles. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of chortles

noun

verb

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