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unfunny

unfunny

9 4.2
Does not make people laugh when meant as a joke
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈfʌni/
translation icon : sin gracia
  • The comedian's latest act was surprisingly unfunny despite high expectations.
  • unfunny joke
  • unfunny comedy
  • very unfunny

Funny and some unfunny things, but it's great.

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Examples

  • Well, if I'm so unfunny, how come you're still my manager ?

  • It's incredible how unfunny it is.

  • Girls, this is totally unfunny.

  • Guys with Kids continued to be incredibly unfunny each week.

    Blog text (27)
  • That's a very unfunny way to say it.

  • All in all, though, this is a really unfunny sitcom.

    Blog text (29)
  • There are a ton of unfunny people doing comedy, and no one thinks they're in that group.

    Blog text (12)
  • The study suggests that when fathers embarrass their children with unfunny jokes, it teaches kids how to overcome awkwardness.

  • Everyone fell silent when he made an unfunny comment that killed the mood.

  • Her attempt at humor was just unfunny, leaving the audience confused rather than amused.

Synonyms

humorless
vsunfunny
  • US
12 4.9

Not able to see or show what is funny

describes failure to make others laugh rather than a personal refusal or inability
unamusing
vsunfunny
1 4.5

Does not make people laugh

is used when the speaker meant to cause laughter but did not
unentertaining
vsunfunny
4.5

Not interesting to watch, read or listen to

focuses on failing to cause laughter rather than overall entertainment value
unhumorous
vsunfunny
7.5

Not liking jokes or laughing at them

applies to attempts that do not make people laugh rather than a personal trait
unmirthful
vsunfunny
8.2

Not amused or cheerful

focuses on failing to cause laughter not on low mood or joylessness

Antonyms

1.0

Causing people to laugh or smile

hilarious
  • Informal
264 1.5

Causing people to laugh loudly

208 1.0

Causes people to laugh and feel happy

How Funny

hilarious
  • Informal
264 1.5
funny
1.0
unfunny
9 4.2

Surface Forms

unfunny positive

Morphology

unfunny = funny (transparent) = un + funny

Standard negation prefix 'un-' applied to the adjective 'funny', yielding the straightforward meaning 'not amusing'.

Etymology

The word unfunny is made of the part un- meaning 'not' and funny, so it simply means 'not amusing'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a joke that makes you groan instead of laugh — that's unfunny.