japer

8.8

A person who makes jokes to make others laugh

noun
/ˈdʒeɪpər/

Archaic

: bromista

The comedian is known as a real japer, often entertaining the audience with clever puns.

Examples

During the school play, she played the part of a japer, delighting the crowd with her playful antics.
If you want to read the Washington side of that event, head on over to the ever-amazing Japer's Rink.

Blog text (21)
"Harlan," playing the authorially self-reflexive Harlequin, is a "japer of jabberwocky and jive" (66).

Academic text (1990)
At the party, Jack was the funniest japer, making everyone laugh with his silly jokes.

Synonyms

tease

vsjaper

Informal

55 3.5

A person who often makes fun of others in a playful way

is more entertainingly mischievous and less likely to annoy continuously

jester

vsjaper

21 7.4

A person who entertains a king or queen with jokes and tricks

is an everyday playful mischief maker rather than a formal performer

prankster

vsjaper

21 4.1

A person who plays tricks on people to make them laugh

leans more toward playful words or mockery rather than physical tricks

kidder

vsjaper

Informal

12 3.5

A person who jokes and teases others to make them laugh

is broader, including playful mischief and general entertaining beyond teasing

teaser

vsjaper

Informal

9 4.1

A person who jokes with others in a playful but annoying way

is more affectionate and less focused on provoking or annoying others

jokester

vsjaper

9 4.4

A person who often makes other people laugh

focuses more on teasing and playful mischief rather than only telling jokes

rapscallion

vsjaper

Archaic

5 9.9

A person who plays tricks and causes small trouble

tends to entertain and mock with jokes rather than cause trouble

cutup

vsjaper

Informal

4 6.9

A person who acts silly to make others laugh

often adds mocking or teasing elements beyond mere silliness

cut-up

vsjaper

Archaic

2 7.8

A person who acts silly to make others laugh

relies more on teasing or mockery rather than physical tricks

funster

vsjaper

Informal

1 8.9

A person who makes others laugh in a group

is more mischievous and may include mocking as well as amusing

punster

vsjaper

1 8.0

A person who often makes jokes by using the double meanings of words

uses varied joking and teasing methods beyond mainly punning

wisecracker

vsjaper

Informal

1 7.1

A person who often makes short funny or sarcastic remarks

is generally playful and mischievous rather than mainly witty or sarcastic

wagger

vsjaper

1 9.0

A person who tells quick jokes to make people laugh

includes broader mischief and teasing beyond just witty remarks

tricker

vsjaper

1 8.7

A person who plays tricks on other people

is broader, using teasing and playful mocking as well as tricks

joker of the group

vsjaper

1 3.1

A person in a group who often makes others laugh with funny stories or actions

is less tied to group role and can be any playful instigator

larker

vsjaper

8.0

A person who likes to make jokes or play small tricks to have fun

is more focused on joking and mocking words rather than activities

Antonyms

serious

∞ 1.4

Calm and focused, not playful or joking

sober

32 4.6

Serious and sensible in behavior or tone

How Playful

prankster

21 4.1

japer

Archaic

8.8

jokester

9 4.4

teaser

Informal

9 4.1

comedian

313 1.7

Surface Forms

japer singular

japers plural

Morphology

japer = jape (transparent) = jape + er

Standard agentive formation: 'jape' + '-er' yields 'one who jokes,' directly derivable from the base verb.

Etymology

The word japer comes from the verb jape, which means 'to joke' or 'to trick', and is like the familiar word joke. So a japer is a person who plays jokes or teases others to make them laugh.