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
-
Meanwhile, Corden, as the event’s emcee, made some uncomfortable jokes about the Dow dropping 2200 points last Friday.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
These jokes referenced economic news of the past week.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
For her performance, Clarkson sported a Buffalo Bills jacket — a nod to that day’s guest, Hailee Steinfeld, who is engaged to quarterback Josh Allen — and kept her vocal arrangement free of any of her signature high notes or riffs, letting the humor of Crow’s lyrics speak for itself.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Their early short films were made on shoestring budgets, relying on humor and inventive storytelling.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In a bit role, Morgan McGhee delivers big laughs with her loopy take as a newscaster.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast co-host was spotted sharing a laugh with his daughter Mia and his niece Savannah Phillips on Christmas at Sandringham in December 2024, joining the royals for church on the holiday.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The irony here is that the film’s main subject, AI, was one of the key elements that writers and actors were pushing against.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The Irony of Poor Leadership: The Ones Who Need Training the Most Avoid It the Most There’s a cruel irony at play in many organizations.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In a perfectly coifed wig, with a sly smile and endless witticisms, Snook takes on 26 different roles across the show's nearly two hour runtime.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Throughout, Snook hams for laughs, turning Wilde’s witticisms and epigrams into slapstick.—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Lorre, a veteran comedy creator, executive producer and writer, will speak as part of the Summit Series at the 46th edition of Banff from June 8 to 11, 2025.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The comedy special Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life will premiere Saturday, April 26 at 10 pm on HBO (and stream on Max).—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drollery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drollery. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share