sidesplitting

5.6

So funny that people laugh loudly

adjective
/ˈsaɪdˌsplɪtɪŋ/

Informal

: desternillante

Her sidesplitting impersonations made the whole room erupt with laughter.

Examples

The comedian told a sidesplitting story that had the audience in tears of laughter.
That movie was sidesplitting!
We watched a sidesplitting movie last night and couldn't stop laughing.
I heard a sidesplitting joke at the party.
The comedian's sidesplitting jokes had the audience in tears from laughing so hard.
After watching the sidesplitting movie, everyone agreed it was the funniest they had ever seen.
His sidesplitting story about his childhood kept us laughing for hours.

Synonyms

killing

vssidesplitting

Informal

5.8

So funny that people laugh a lot

causes loud or uncontrollable laughter rather than mild amusement

Antonyms

unfunny

9 4.2

Does not make people laugh when meant as a joke

How Funny

sidesplitting

Informal

5.6

hilarious

Informal

264 1.5

funny

∞ 1.0

amusing

208 1.0

Surface Forms

sidesplitting positive

Morphology

sidesplitting = side + split (semi-transparent) = side + split + ing

The compound 'side + split' evokes the idiom 'split one's sides' (laughing violently), so the formation hints at 'causing intense laughter' but rests on a metaphorical idiom not fully predictable by all learners.

Etymology

The word sidesplitting comes from the picture of laughing so hard that your side, the 'part of the body' at your waist, seems to split ('break apart'). So, sidesplitting means extremely funny and makes people laugh out loud.