Comical

How to spell comical

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce comical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does comical mean?

1. adjectiveAmusing or funny, especially in a way that seems slightly absurd.

Comical in a sentence

• The puppy chasing its own tail was a comical sight.

• His comical attempt to assemble the flat-pack desk had everyone grinning.

Where does comical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek komikos, meaning 'relating to comedy', which itself grew from komos, a riotous festal procession with singing and revelry held in honour of the god Dionysus. The Greeks gave the name komoidia (our 'comedy') to the lighter, laughter-raising stage plays that contrasted with sombre tragedy. Latin took the adjective in as comicus, and English shaped its own form by adding the familiar -al suffix, giving 'comical' by the middle of the 1500s. At first it simply meant 'pertaining to comedy', but over time it drifted toward its modern sense of 'funny' or 'absurdly amusing'. The single c and single m in the middle are the spelling trap, since writers sometimes expect a doubled letter that the word never had.

How the word is built

• comic (from Greek komikos: relating to comedy)
• -al (adjective suffix)