1
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the film's sophisticated drolleries will elicit smiles and chuckles even upon repeated viewings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in humor
the amusing quality or element in something
though generally serious, the novel about a seriously dysfunctional family is not without drollery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drollery
He is played by Ethan Hawke, a mainstay of Linklater’s movies, in a remarkable amalgam of bitterness, exuberance, drollery, tenderness, frustration, and tremendous artistic passion.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
His ambition and synthetic public persona are the butt of countless withering drolleries.
—Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
Griffin’s front-court mate DeAndre Jordan, although deeply intense, mirrored Griffin’s drollery in candid postgame interviews.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
But his method is mostly charging into the fray, shouting battle cries or tossing out Australian drollery.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
The starry cast runs full force with his nesting-doll plots and deadpan drolleries, the color palette comes saturated in a Pantone riot of blues, pinks and egg-yolk yellows, and the tone flips nimbly from tender to absurd, more Dahl sweetness than arsenic.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
With LuPone’s perversely opportunistic Mrs. Lovett reviewing the prospective cannibalistic menu, his Sweeney perfectly complemented her cockeyed humor with his own savage drollery.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023
Lapine’s book is marvelously inventive, full of elbow-nudging drollery and melancholy rumination.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2023
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
His ambition and synthetic public persona are the butt of countless withering drolleries.
—Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
Griffin’s front-court mate DeAndre Jordan, although deeply intense, mirrored Griffin’s drollery in candid postgame interviews.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
But his method is mostly charging into the fray, shouting battle cries or tossing out Australian drollery.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
The starry cast runs full force with his nesting-doll plots and deadpan drolleries, the color palette comes saturated in a Pantone riot of blues, pinks and egg-yolk yellows, and the tone flips nimbly from tender to absurd, more Dahl sweetness than arsenic.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
With LuPone’s perversely opportunistic Mrs. Lovett reviewing the prospective cannibalistic menu, his Sweeney perfectly complemented her cockeyed humor with his own savage drollery.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023
Lapine’s book is marvelously inventive, full of elbow-nudging drollery and melancholy rumination.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drollery
Noun
-
Conan O'Brien Named Host Of The 2025 Oscars By Megan Cartwright Deputy Entertainment Editor Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 Conan O'Brien revealed on his podcast that part of his Oscars promo joke was cut by the Academy.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Elsewhere in the evolving saga of drama between Arrietty and Jewels, Suzie previously revealed to EW that Jewels didn't initially tell any of the other queens or judges about Arrietty's revenge plot in stealing Jewels' roast jokes.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The scripts of the new series are laugh-out-loud funny, managing a delicate balance of raucous, lewd and sweet humor.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Conan was the perfect host – skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Even if real life divorce is not that funny, this comic take on divorce is set to offer some welcome laughs.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Garner and Affleck came together to celebrate their youngest child's 13th birthday at a paintball party for Samuel on March 2, where they were seen sharing a laugh and hug.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The irony is that at the other major prosecutorial office maintaining law and order, the Cook County state’s attorney, voters in November elected Eileen O’Neill Burke, a tough-on-crime candidate who pledged to rebuild ranks depleted by defections during the two terms of Kim Foxx.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2025
-
There’s a great irony in the bulk of the world’s stablecoins being denominated in USD and yet originating from overseas, out of necessity because of the previous administration.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The laminated menu taped to the wall was stocked with the usual cheap alcoholic concoctions, plus the occasional witticism and curiosity.—
Hannah Gold,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
-
It’s often noted that TikTok played a major role in the online shift from text to video, changing the shape of memes, as the snappy, often-anonymous witticisms of Twitter were steadily replaced by intimate close-ups of TikTokers monologuing in their bedrooms.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Smashing a watermelon with a giant mallet to the messy delight of audiences, Leo Gallagher became one of the biggest comedy acts of the 1980s and shot to superstardom.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Again, there’s no hard and fast definition for what constitutes a dumb comedy.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drollery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drollery. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share