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

>.