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card

card

344 7.7
A funny person who behaves in a strange and entertaining way
  • noun
  • /kɑrd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : personaje
  • My uncle is a real card; he always finds a way to make everyone laugh.

Examples

  • Everyone loves to hear his jokes; he's quite a card at parties.

  • She acted like a card, dressing in silly costumes and doing impressions at the event.

  • Look at him over there, drinking and playing cards with the common people.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • - Well when I was a kid it was baseball cards.

  • The caregiver would be there with us to play cards or to smoke a cigarette.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Pictures and a large thank-you card signed by all the band students were presented to the collegians.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

wit
vscard
53 4.8

A person who thinks quickly and says clever, funny things

is more eccentric or behaviourally funny rather than clever remarking
wag
vscard
15 7.5

A person who likes to tell jokes to make people laugh

is more about amusing or eccentric behaviour, not only witty joking
jokester
vscard
7 4.4

A person who often makes other people laugh

is amusing in many ways, not only by playing jokes
funnyman
vscard
5 3.7

A man who makes people laugh by telling jokes or acting in a silly way

is amusing more broadly, not limited to performing or telling jokes
gasser
vscard
  • Archaic
1 8.6

A very funny person or thing that makes people laugh

is amusing but may be less intensely funny or dramatic
hardcase
vscard
  • Slang
1 8.3

A funny person who behaves in a bold, unusual way

is amusing but not necessarily strikingly eccentric
wisecracker
vscard
  • Informal
1 7.1

A person who often makes short funny or sarcastic remarks

is amusing in character rather than focusing on sarcastic remarks
quipster
vscard
7.9

A person who often makes short clever remarks

is broader, covering playful behaviour beyond short clever remarks

Antonyms

452 1.4

Calm and focused, not playful or joking

182 1.3

Not interesting or lively

Idioms

10 7.8

To bring up race or accuse someone of racism to get support

1 8.5

To pretend to be treated unfairly to get sympathy or avoid blame

1 8.0

To mention someone's gender to gain an advantage in a discussion

8.3

To warn someone so they are ready for what will happen

8.4

To mention being a woman or man to avoid blame and get sympathy

9.9

To claim someone was raped to get sympathy or advantage

Compounds

711 1.0

A small plastic card from a bank that lets you buy things now and pay later

68 1.0

A small printed card showing a person's name, job, company, and contact details

A card sent at Christmas with a greeting and a picture

52 1.4

A card with money on it that you can use to buy things at one store or group of stores

52 3.4

An official card that allows a foreign person to live and work permanently in the United States

48 1.5

A paper from a school that shows a student's grades

43 1.1

A game played with playing cards, for example poker, that often needs skill or luck

41 1.8

A small card with a baseball player's photo and game numbers that people collect

35 1.0

A small flat piece of thick paper with numbers or pictures used in games

Money a person owes because they used a credit card to buy things

27 1.6

A plastic card you use to pay or withdraw money from your bank account

22 1.0

A card you give or send to someone with birthday wishes

22 1.0

A decorated card sent with a personal message for a special occasion

18 1.0

A small official card that lets you borrow books and use library services

18 7.6

A card with pictures and symbols used to tell the future or play special card games

14 4.1

A typical action or sign that helps people notice who someone is

11 5.6

A chance to avoid punishment or trouble

11 2.6

A small folding table used for playing card games

punch card
  • Archaic
11 7.4

A stiff card with holes that show information used by old computers

9 2.8

A trick that uses playing cards to entertain people

A card that shows you belong to a club or group

9 1.7

A small paper card with words or pictures shown quickly to help you learn

8 1.4

A plastic card from a bank used to pay without cash and get money from cash machines

8 2.0

A person who plays games with cards like poker or bridge

identity card
  • Formal
6 1.3

An official card with your name and photo that shows who you are

phone card
  • Archaic
6 2.1

A small card you buy to pay for phone calls from public phones or when traveling

5 2.6

A punishment in sports like football that sends a player off the field for a serious foul

A card sent to someone who is ill to wish them a quick recovery

5 3.8

A strong advantage that gives someone a winning edge

4 3.2

A card that lets you buy things and must be paid in full each month

4 2.4

A small card with a picture that people collect and swap

calling card
  • Archaic
4 3.9

A prepaid card used to pay for phone calls from public phones

4 3.3

A card carried to show that a person wants to give their organs after death

4 3.0

An official card showing someone belongs to a labor union

4 3.8

A playing card a player can use to represent any other card

calling card
  • Archaic
4 6.0

A small card with a person's name left to show they visited

graphics card
  • Specialized
4 3.2

A small part inside a computer that makes images and video look better

A card sent to someone to show you are sorry after a death

4 5.0

A person or thing that is unpredictable and can change the result

smart card
  • Specialized
3 3.7

A small plastic card with a chip that stores money or ID

card shark
  • Informal
3 8.2

A person who is very good at playing cards and cheats to win

3 4.0

A government card that lets you buy limited goods like food or fuel during shortages

2 2.8

A playing card with a picture of a king, queen, or jack

2 2.6

A bank card that lets you get money from an ATM or pay in shops

A digital file or link showing a person's name, job, company, and contact details

A street trick with three cards that makes people lose money

1 1.9

A card with a grid of numbers that players mark in bingo

1 2.1

A card passengers show before they get on a plane or ship

card catalog
  • Archaic
1 3.7

A set of paper cards in drawers that lists library books and where to find them

card sharp
  • Informal
1 9.3

A person who cheats at card games to win money

hole card
  • Jargon
1 7.7

A card dealt face down to a player in poker

card catalog
  • Texting
1 3.8

An online layout that shows items as small boxes with a picture and a little information

card index
  • Archaic
1 4.4

A set of cards that people arrange in alphabetical order to list and find items like books

1 9.6

A person who cheats at card games to win money from other players

1 3.0

A person who often plays card games for fun or money

1 4.2

A person or thing that attracts many people to a place

1 1.0

A card you send to wish someone a happy Easter

ace card
  • Informal
1 4.7

A strong advantage kept for an important moment to help win

1 8.5

A card sent to someone who lost a loved one saying a Mass will be said for them

punched card
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A stiff piece of paper with holes that holds data for old computers

1 2.6

A playing card with a picture of a person, like a jack, queen or king

1 1.0

A card sent by mail without an envelope, often with a picture on one side

1 3.7

A playing card from the special suit chosen that beats cards of other suits

show card
  • Archaic
1 4.6

A poster that advertises a play or concert

visiting card
  • Archaic
1 6.4

A small card with a person's name and sometimes address left to announce their visit

A card that lets you take books and other items out of a library for a short time

A small card with a person's name, job title, phone number, and email that people give in business meetings

A card you pay for in advance to use for ten coffees or bus rides

A fragile structure that you make by balancing playing cards

circuit card
  • Specialized
4.4

A board with electronic parts that you insert into a computer to add functions like graphics or wireless

compass card
  • Specialized
6.7

A round disc on a compass that turns so its north mark points to magnetic north

A playing card that shows a person like a king, queen, or jack

A dish that shows a chef's personal cooking style

How Amusing

riot
  • Informal
33 4.9
joker
35 2.4
card
  • Archaic
344 7.7
oddball
  • Offensive
21 7.2

Surface Forms

card singular
cards plural

Etymology

Card used for an amusing or eccentric person comes from 19th-century slang where a card meant a funny, surprising character, a bit like a wild playing card. So calling someone a card is saying they are an entertaining 'character'.