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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Amusing \A*mus"ing\, adjective Giving amusement; diverting; as, an amusing story. -- {A*mus"ing*ly}, adverb
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Amuse \A*muse"\ ([.a]*m[=u]z"), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Amused} ([.a]*m[=u]zd"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Amusing}.] [F. amuser to make stay, to detain, to amuse, ['a] (L. ad) + OF. muser. See {Muse}, v.]
1. To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder. [Obs.]
Camillus set upon the Gauls when they were amused in receiving their gold. --Holland.
Being amused with grief, fear, and fright, he could not find the house. --Fuller.
2. To entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to stir with pleasing or mirthful emotions; to divert.
A group of children amusing themselves with pushing stones from the top [of the cliff], and watching as they plunged into the lake. --Gilpin.
3. To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.
He amused his followers with idle promises. --Johnson.
Syn: To entertain; gratify; please; divert; beguile; deceive; occupy.
Usage: To {Amuse}, {Divert}, {Entertain}. We are amused by that which occupies us lightly and pleasantly. We are entertained by that which brings our minds into agreeable contact with others, as conversation, or a book. We are diverted by that which turns off our thoughts to something of livelier interest, especially of a sportive nature, as a humorous story, or a laughable incident.
Whatever amuses serves to kill time, to lull the faculties, and to banish reflection. Whatever entertains usually awakens the understanding or gratifies the fancy. Whatever diverts is lively in its nature, and sometimes tumultuous in its effects. --Crabb.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
amusing
adjective
1: providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining; "an amusing speaker"; "a diverting story"; "a fun thing to do" [syn: {amusive}, {diverting}, {fun(a)}]
2: arousing or provoking laughter; "an amusing film with a steady stream of pranks and pratfalls"; "an amusing fellow"; "a comic hat"; "a comical look of surprise"; "funny stories that made everybody laugh"; "a very funny writer"; "it would have been laughable if it hadn't hurt so much"; "a mirthful experience"; "risible courtroom antics" [syn: {comic}, {comical}, {funny}, {laughable}, {mirthful}, {risible}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
27 Moby Thesaurus words for "amusing": absurd, beguiling, bizarre, delightful, diverting, droll, eccentric, entertaining, fun, funny, hilarious, humorous, incongruous, laughable, ludicrous, priceless, quaint, quizzical, recreational, rich, ridiculous, risible, screaming, titillating, titillative, whimsical, witty
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