Antonyms for joke

Grammar : Noun, verb

Spell : johk

Phonetic Transcription : dʒoʊk

Definition of joke

Origin : 1660s, joque, "a jest, something done to excite laughter," from Latin iocus "joke, sport, pastime," from PIE root *yek- "to speak" (cf. Breton iez "language," Old High German jehan "to say," German Beichte "confession").
Originally a colloquial or slang word. Meaning "something not to be taken seriously" is 1791. Practical joke "trick played on someone for the sake of a laugh at his expense" is from 1804 (earlier handicraft joke, 1741). Black joke is old slang for "smutty song" (1730s), from use of that phrase in the refrain of a then-popular song as a euphemism for "the monosyllable."

noun fun, quip
noun person that is made fun of
verb kid, tease

Example sentences :

As it can be "no joke" to them, perhaps it should be no joke to us: though, on reflection, we are not so very like.
Extract from : « Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870 » by Various

At first you kept on wondering what the joke was, till you saw it was only a habit Sarah had.
Extract from : « Life and Death of Harriett Frean » by May Sinclair

"It was no tiger at all—that was the joke of the thing," said the major.
Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald

Then he seemed to consider it best to treat my natural disappointment as a joke.
Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark

"Sit it, you mean," said young Bartlett, laughing with the others at his own joke.
Extract from : « In the Midst of Alarms » by Robert Barr

The Little Doctor was struggling with the lump in her throat that he should try to joke about it.
Extract from : « Chip, of the Flying U » by B. M. Bower

"I—I thought you did it just for a joke," said the Little Doctor, weakly.
Extract from : « Chip, of the Flying U » by B. M. Bower

Even if she only did it for a joke, I think Marian would rather that you had not read them.
Extract from : « Her Father's Daughter » by Gene Stratton-Porter

There was a joke in The Twiddley Bits that went down everywhere.
Extract from : « The Foolish Lovers » by St. John G. Ervine

The joke was over before the audience had time to realise it was a joke.
Extract from : « The Foolish Lovers » by St. John G. Ervine

Synonyms for joke

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019