drollery

noun

ˈdrōl-rē How to pronounce drollery (audio)
Definition of drollerynext
1
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter the film's sophisticated drolleries will elicit smiles and chuckles even upon repeated viewings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in humor
the amusing quality or element in something though generally serious, the novel about a seriously dysfunctional family is not without drollery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 drollery In both films, Jarmusch strips away the ironic detachment and deadpan drollery that were part of his signature in the earlier movies that earned him a prominent spot on the American indie map. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025 He is played by Ethan Hawke, a mainstay of Linklater’s movies, in a remarkable amalgam of bitterness, exuberance, drollery, tenderness, frustration, and tremendous artistic passion. — Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025 Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment. — J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024 But his method is mostly charging into the fray, shouting battle cries or tossing out Australian drollery. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drollery
  1. joke
  2. humor
  3. laugh
  4. irony
  5. joking
  6. comedy
  7. witticism
Noun
  • There are moments, say at a fan’s family home in Casablanca, when a joke gets lost in translation.
    — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
  • And then there’s the Ren Faire episode, where a McPoyle brothers’ cameo portends a closing joke so distressing my innocent little brain rejected all the warnings of its arrival.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • But it was filled with quicksilver, roller-coaster displays of virtuosity and the sly humor Lutoslawski and fellow Polish composer and pianist Andrzej Panufnik brought to their Paganini variations in its original 1941 iteration.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Follow rebellious 16-year-old Holden Caufield to New York City in Catcher in the Rye, in a tale that will evoke both humor and empathy from readers in equal measure.
    — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of humor
Noun
  • Gone was the terror of wondering if the piece that was about to air was going to get big enough laughs from the live audience.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But that blend of raucous laughs (OK, well, some raucous laughs, some mere attempts at them) and real world concerns makes for an uneasy watch, ping-ponging between moods and tones in unpredictable ways.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • There is a certain irony in exploring that history through this TV series, Asli writes, because Lasso’s own coaching career is built on precisely the kind of opportunity women have rarely received.
    — Emily Olsen, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The irony is that bubble wrapping rarely protects us from judgment.
    — Kelly Ehlers, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of irony
Noun
  • Back in December 1968, Dolan wrote a joking column about the earlier Lake Worth monster, from way back in 1947.
    — Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
  • Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • The comedy icon, who turned 100 in June, was born in the silent era and grew up in Brooklyn devouring double bills at his neighborhood theater in the 1930s.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Julie Klausner would like comedy liberated from the phone and returned to the sitcom.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of comedy
Noun
  • The result is an incredible repository of vexations, bafflements, witticisms, and brilliancies.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • This charming witticism might double as a tagline for the season writ large.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of witticism

Browse Nearby Words

drolleries
drollery
drollness
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Cite this Entry

“Drollery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drollery. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drollery

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drollery

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