droll Meaning, Definition & Usage

Droll adjective

Etymology

F. drôle; cf. G. & D. drollig, LG. drullig, D. drol a thick and short person, a droll, Sw. troll a magical appearance, demon, trolla to use magic arts, enchant, Dan. trold elf, imp, Icel. tröll giant, magician, evil spirit, monster. If this is the origin, cf. Trull.

Wordforms

comparative Droller ; superlative Drollest

Definitions

1. Queer, and fitted to provoke laughter; ludicrous from oddity; amusing and strange. Syn. -- Comic; comical; farcical; diverting; humorous; ridiculous; queer; odd; waggish; facetious; merry; laughable; ludicrous. -- Droll, Laughable, Comical. Laughable is the generic term, denoting anything exciting laughter or worthy of laughter; comical denotes something of the kind exhibited in comedies, something humorous of the kind exhibited in comedies, something, as it were, dramatically humorous; droll stands lower on the scale, having reference to persons or things which excite laughter by their buffoonery or oddity. A laughable incident; a comical adventure; a droll story.

Droll noun

Definitions

1. One whose practice it is to raise mirth by odd tricks; a jester; a buffoon; a merry-andrew. Prior.
2. Something exhibited to raise mirth or sport, as a puppet, a farce, and the like.

Droll intransitive verb

Wordforms

imperfect & past participle Drolled ; present participle & verbal noun Drolling

Definitions

1. To jest; to play the buffoon. R.

Droll transitive verb

Definitions

1. To lead or influence by jest or trick; to banter or jest; to cajole.

   Men that will not be reasoned into their senses, may yet be laughed or drolled into them. L'Estrange.

2. To make a jest of; to set in a comical light. R.

   This drolling everything is rather fatiguing. W. D. Howells.