WITTINESS

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

A message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

Synonyms:

humor; humour; wit; witticism; wittiness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("wittiness" is a kind of...):

content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)

Domain member category:

couth ((used facetiously) refinement)

couth ((used facetiously) refined and well-mannered)

Domain member usage:

libation ((facetious) a serving of an alcoholic beverage)

roaster (a harsh or humorous critic (sometimes intended as a facetious compliment))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wittiness"):

jeu d'esprit (a witty comment or writing)

bon mot; mot (a clever remark)

esprit de l'escalier (a witty remark that occurs to you too late)

bite; pungency (wit having a sharp and caustic quality)

caustic remark; irony; sarcasm; satire (witty language used to convey insults or scorn)

repartee (adroitness and cleverness in reply)

gag; jape; jest; joke; laugh (a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter)

caricature; imitation; impersonation (a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect)

cartoon; sketch (a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine)

fun; play; sport (verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously))

ribaldry (ribald humor)

topper (an exceedingly good witticism that surpasses all that have gone before)

Derivation:

witty (combining clever conception and facetious expression)