hilarity
/hɪˈlarɪti
/noun [mass noun]
1Extreme amusement, especially when expressed by laughter: his incredulous expression was the cause of much hilarity...
- There'll probably be a lot of laughter and hilarity, because the owner of the restaurant is absolutely hilarious.
- The film veers in its perfectly-plotted course from absolute hilarity to extreme poignancy.
- Meg made a face that was between confusion and extreme hilarity.
Synonyms
amusement, mirth, laughter, merriment, light-heartedness, levity, fun, humour, jocularity, jollity, joviality, gaiety, delight, glee, comedy, frivolity, exuberance, boisterousness, high spirits
dated sport
1.1 archaic Boisterous merriment: by midnight the hilarity had increased
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'cheerfulness'): from French hilarité, from Latin hilaritas 'cheerfulness, merriment', from hilaris (see hilarious).
exhilarate from mid 16th century:
This is from Latin exhilarare ‘make cheerful’, based on hilaris ‘cheerful’ source of hilarity (Late Middle English).