droll

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Funny in a dry, quiet, or slightly odd way.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun or after be: a droll remark; he was droll.

   Patterns

   • droll remark
   • droll sense of humor

   He had a droll way of telling stories with a straight face.

   Her droll remark made the whole room smile.

   The film has a droll sense of humor.

2. 2adjectivecomparableold-fashioned

   Strange or curious in a way that amuses.

   Grammar: Old-fashioned; describes things or people.

   Patterns

   • a droll figure

   The droll little hat made him look like a character in a storybook.

   It was a droll sight to see the cat in a sweater.

3. 3nouncountablearchaic

   A person who amuses others by comic behavior, in older use.

   Grammar: Archaic.

   The king kept a droll at court for entertainment.

   He was known as the town droll.

Word forms

Common combinations

droll humor

The show is full of droll humor.

droll expression

He wore a droll expression.

droll remark

She made a droll remark about the weather.

droll wit

The author is known for her droll wit.

droll tone

He said it in a droll tone.

Synonyms and how they differ

witty

Witty means clever and quick with words, while droll is quieter and more offbeat.

wry

Wry suggests a mildly ironic or twisted humor, often with a small smile.

amusing

Amusing is general and can be loud, while droll is subtle.

whimsical

Whimsical suggests playful and fanciful, whereas droll is dry.

Opposites

Word family

drollery noun

dry, odd humor

drolly adverb

in a dry, amusing way

drollness noun

the quality of being droll

Commonly confused: droll or troll?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “droll”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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