- witty
-
adjective
(wittier; -est)
Date: before 12th century
1. archaic having good intellectual capacity ; intelligent
2. amusingly or ingeniously clever in conception or execution <the costumes are sumptuous and witty — Virgil Thomson> <the musical background is…often witty — Wolcott Gibbs> 3. marked by or full of wit ; smartly facetious or jocular <a witty novel> 4. quick or ready to see or express illuminating or amusing relationships or insights <a witty raconteur> • wittily adverb • wittiness noun Synonyms: witty, humorous, facetious, jocular, jocose mean provoking or intended to provoke laughter. witty suggests cleverness and quickness of mind <a witty remark>. humorous applies broadly to anything that evokes usually genial laughter and may contrast with witty in suggesting whimsicality or eccentricity <humorous anecdotes>. facetious stresses a desire to produce laughter and may be derogatory in implying dubious or ill-timed attempts at wit or humor <facetious comments>. jocular implies a usually habitual fondness for jesting and joking <a jocular fellow>. jocose is somewhat less derogatory than facetious in suggesting habitual waggishness or playfulness <jocose proposals>.
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.