Humour, Wit & Irony — C1 English Vocabulary

This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about humour, wit & irony — jokes, satire and the comic register. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.

1. wit/wɪt/

   “She is famous for her wit.”

2. humorous/ˈhjuː.mər.əs/

   “He wrote a humorous essay.”

3. ironic/aɪˈrɒn.ɪk/

   “It is deeply ironic.”

4. sarcasm/ˈsɑː.kæz.əm/

   “His sarcasm can be hurtful.”

5. sarcastic/sɑːˈkæs.tɪk/

   “She gave a sarcastic reply.”

6. satirical/səˈtɪr.ɪ.kəl/

   “It is a satirical cartoon.”

7. parody/ˈpær.ə.di/

   “The sketch is a parody of the news.”

8. pun/pʌn/

   “He loves a good pun.”

9. banter/ˈbæn.tə/

   “There was friendly banter.”

10. quip/kwɪp/

    “She made a clever quip.”

11. jest/dʒest/

    “He said it in jest.”

12. mockery/ˈmɒk.ər.i/

    “His tone was full of mockery.”

13. ridicule/ˈrɪd.ɪ.kjuːl/

    “She faced public ridicule.”

14. farce/fɑːs/

    “The trial became a farce.”

15. comical/ˈkɒm.ɪ.kəl/

    “He made a comical face.”

16. hilarious/hɪˈleə.ri.əs/

    “The film was hilarious.”

17. amusing/əˈmjuː.zɪŋ/

    “It was an amusing story.”

18. droll/drəʊl/

    “He has a droll sense of humour.”

19. facetious/fəˈsiː.ʃəs/

    “Stop being facetious.”

20. tongue-in-cheek/ˌtʌŋ.ɪnˈtʃiːk/

    “The remark was tongue-in-cheek.”

21. deadpan/ˈded.pæn/

    “She has a deadpan delivery.”

22. whimsical/ˈwɪm.zɪ.kəl/

    “It is a whimsical tale.”

23. lampoon/læmˈpuːn/

    “Cartoonists love to lampoon the mayor.”

24. caricature/ˈkær.ɪ.kə.tʃʊə/

    “The drawing is a caricature.”

25. levity/ˈlev.ɪ.ti/

    “A moment of levity broke the tension.”

26. mirth/mɜːθ/

    “The joke caused great mirth.”

27. jovial/ˈdʒəʊ.vi.əl/

    “He is a jovial old man.”

28. jocular/ˈdʒɒk.jə.lə/

    “He made a jocular comment.”

29. chuckle/ˈtʃʌk.əl/

    “She gave a quiet chuckle.”

30. giggle/ˈɡɪɡ.əl/

    “The children began to giggle.”

31. snigger/ˈsnɪɡ.ə/

    “He tried not to snigger.”

32. guffaw/ɡʌˈfɔː/

    “He let out a loud guffaw.”

33. hilarity/hɪˈlær.ɪ.ti/

    “The remark caused hilarity.”

34. wisecrack/ˈwaɪz.kræk/

    “He made a quick wisecrack.”

35. repartee/ˌrep.ɑːˈtiː/

    “Their repartee was sharp.”

36. ribbing/ˈrɪb.ɪŋ/

    “He took the ribbing well.”

37. teasing/ˈtiː.zɪŋ/

    “It was only gentle teasing.”

38. prank/præŋk/

    “They played a harmless prank.”

39. antics/ˈæn.tɪks/

    “His antics amused everyone.”

40. buffoon/bəˈfuːn/

    “He acted like a buffoon.”

41. absurd/əbˈsɜːd/

    “The whole idea is absurd.”

42. ludicrous/ˈluː.dɪ.krəs/

    “It was a ludicrous suggestion.”

43. preposterous/prɪˈpɒs.tər.əs/

    “What a preposterous claim!”

44. farcical/ˈfɑː.sɪ.kəl/

    “The situation was farcical.”

45. wry/raɪ/

    “He gave a wry grin.”

46. impish/ˈɪm.pɪʃ/

    “She has an impish grin.”

47. playful/ˈpleɪ.fəl/

    “His tone was playful.”

48. lighthearted/ˌlaɪtˈhɑː.tɪd/

    “It was a lighthearted chat.”

49. amuse/əˈmjuːz/

    “The story will amuse you.”

50. scoff/skɒf/

    “They scoff at every new plan.”

51. jeer/dʒɪə/

    “The crowd began to jeer.”

52. taunt/tɔːnt/

    “He ignored the taunt.”

53. gibe/dʒaɪb/

    “She made a cruel gibe.”

54. derision/dɪˈrɪʒ.ən/

    “His plan met with derision.”

55. flippant/ˈflɪp.ənt/

    “He gave a flippant answer.”

56. comedian/kəˈmiː.di.ən/

    “The comedian had us laughing.”

57. punchline/ˈpʌntʃ.laɪn/

    “He forgot the punchline.”

58. anecdote/ˈæn.ɪk.dəʊt/

    “She told a funny anecdote.”

59. witticism/ˈwɪt.ɪ.sɪ.zəm/

    “She added a clever witticism.”

60. humour/ˈhjuː.mə/

    “He has a great sense of humour.”