1
as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
the farcical behavior of the troupe of circus clowns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the farcical routine that a person has to go through to get a refund from that company
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 farcical
The doors that slam, as farcical doors are built to do, open to work spaces, where a good deal of time is spent scheming and counter-scheming.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
The prices are almost farcical by modern standards.
—Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
The rest of the crowd, seen through the roving, irony-hungry cable-news cameras, was all farcical adjacency: Jared Kushner sat not far from Zuckerberg, both shaking hands robotically and otherwise playacting at human social skills.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
In each episode, Shaun tries to liven up mundane farm life with low-stakes schemes that eventually spiral into farcical, slapstick situations.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for farcical
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
The prices are almost farcical by modern standards.
—Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
The rest of the crowd, seen through the roving, irony-hungry cable-news cameras, was all farcical adjacency: Jared Kushner sat not far from Zuckerberg, both shaking hands robotically and otherwise playacting at human social skills.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
In each episode, Shaun tries to liven up mundane farm life with low-stakes schemes that eventually spiral into farcical, slapstick situations.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for farcical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for farcical
Adjective
-
The big picture: Parody accounts from Mount Rainier and Mount Hood are trading playful taunts and humorous one-upmanship, comparing body counts and jesting about whether size matters.—
Christine Clarridge,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Donkey provided comic relief, pathos and friendship to Shrek, with the film praised for its humorous twist on fairy-tale tropes.—
Aaron Couch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The 30-year-old center is averaging a rather ridiculous line of 29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.2 assists on the season, while hitting almost 58% of his shots.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Many of the memes are ridiculous, poking fun at the Trump administration’s obvious ploy to pin the blame of any situation on DEI programs.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
There are times when an actor leaning into the role of straight man can make comedic material even funnier (Leslie Nielsen’s late career was entirely built on the premise), but this isn’t one of them.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Some were comedic, like a moment when McKee, playing Annie in middle age, attends her first aerobics class.—
Alex Marshall,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
To even suggest that my clients were somehow resistant to other points of view, acted secretly and/or abusively or threatened anyone’s job is patently false and frankly absurd.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2025
-
That would be absurd!’ Athwart Gravy Train Wreck James Lileks In the resistance world, Musk and Trump have fused into one dark bolus of evil, a grinning fleshy blob that throbs with malevolence: Muskentrump.—
George Weigel,
National Review,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Spanning almost forty years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Even the guy who runs the garment shop is very funny.—
Lily Ford,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
My long-distance boyfriend often addressed letters with silly names or in-jokes.—
A.S. King,
TIME,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Altuve, Espada and everyone in between are stressing the fluidity of a situation that once seemed silly but is transforming into one of baseball’s most fascinating storylines.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The film follows two determined fathers who engage in a comical battle to enroll their kids in an elite preschool, escalating into an absurd competition with unexpected results.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2025
-
The laidback energy resonated throughout the entire night, which featured minor goofs from Timothée Chalamet and Jessica Williams along with comical bits reuniting cast members from our favorite shows of the past.—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This is pathetic, as Russia would do everything in their power to interfere in that election.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
-
This character is just like me – funny and sad, tragic, pathetic and brave, emotionally available but all over the place.—
Stuart Miller,
Orange County Register,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Farcical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/farcical. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share