Etymologically
Log in

hilarious

Etymology and origin of the English word hilarious

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1823
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (ἱλαρός)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/ (UK); /hɪˈlɛ(ə)ɹ.i.əs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin hilaris (“cheerful, merry”), a variant of hilarus,[2][3][4] and -ous;[2][3] the Latin word is from Ancient Greek ἱλαρός (hilarós, “cheerful”) (see hilarity).[5][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cheerful, cheery: 1823.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Boisterously joyful or merry is from 1835–40.[2][8] The main modern sense, extremely funny, dates from the 1920s.[7]

Timeline

  • 1823 – cheerful.[2][8]
  • 1835 – boisterously merry.[2]
  • 1920s – extremely funny.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Extremely funny; causing great laughter.
  2. Boisterously merry.

Word family

  • hilariously
  • hilariousness
  • hilarity
  • unhilarious
  • exhilarate
  • exhilaration
  • Hilary

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Hilarious.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hilarious. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·