Drollish

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Showing a slightly amusing or whimsically humorous quality
2. Having a quaintly playful or odd sense of amusement
3. Displaying a mild and peculiar form of humor that provokes gentle laughter

Etymology: "Droll" entered English in the 1600s from French "drôle," meaning "merry" or "funny," and it has long carried a sly, dry humor rather than outright slapstick. Adding the suffix "-ish" to it yields a word that means something like "somewhat droll," a softening of the original sense. The suffix "-ish" comes from Old English and gives the sense "having the qualities of" or "rather," so "droll" plus "-ish" describes humor that is mildly amusing in an old-fashioned, slightly quirky way. The suffix does most of the work here. Attaching "-ish" to an adjective lowers its intensity, as in "reddish" or "tallish," so "drollish" describes a comedic quality that is present but understated. It is a straightforward formation, built from two familiar parts rather than coined for a particular purpose.

Synonyms: humorous, amusing, witty, funny, comical

Antonyms: serious, sad, gloomy, solemn, heavy