amused


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

a·muse

 (ə-myo͞oz′)
tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es
1. To hold the attention of or occupy in an agreeable fashion: amused myself with a puzzle.
2. To cause to laugh or smile by being funny: amused the crowd with jokes.
3. Archaic To delude or deceive.

[From Middle French amuser, from Old French, to fill with vain hopes, deceive : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + muser, to stare stupidly; see muse.]

a·mus′a·ble adj.
a·mus′er n.
Synonyms: amuse, entertain, divert, regale
These verbs refer to activities that provide pleasure or enjoyment. Amuse can suggest the idle pleasure derived from a pastime: I amused myself with a game of solitaire. It can also suggest the enjoyment of something humorous or laughable: The antics of the little dog amused the children. Entertain often implies a pleasure actively pursued by the imagination or through play: entertained herself with thoughts of what the weekend would bring; children entertaining themselves with games and puppets. It also refers to the enjoyment derived from artistic performance: has been entertaining audiences with his stories and music for many years. Divert implies distraction from worry, boredom, or low spirits: "I had neither Friends or Books to divert me" (Richard Steele).
To regale is to entertain with something that causes great mirth: "He loved to regale his friends with tales about the many memorable characters he had known as a newspaperman" (David Rosenzweig).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

amused

(əˈmjuːzd)
adj
1. believing something to have a humorous quality
2. pleasantly occupied: Archie kept us amused with his stories..
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.amused - pleasantly occupiedamused - pleasantly occupied; "We are not amused" -Queen Victoria
pleased - experiencing or manifesting pleasure
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

amused

noun entertained, interested, involved, occupied, engaged, absorbed, diverted, beguiled, engrossed She was not amused by his teasing.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations

amused

[əˈmjuːzd] adj
(finding something funny)amusé(e)
He was not amused → Il n'a pas apprécié.
to be amused by sth, to be amused at sth → être amusé(e) par qch
He was most amused by the story
BUT L'histoire l'a beaucoup amusé.
to be amused to see that ... → être amusé(e) de voir que ...
(= entertained, occupied) to keep sb amused → distraire qn
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

amused

adj person, look, smile, attitudeamüsiert; she seemed amused at my suggestionsie schien über meinen Vorschlag amüsiert (zu sein); I was amused to see/hear that …es hat mich amüsiert zu sehen/hören, dass …; the teacher shouldn’t appear to be amused by the pupils’ mistakesder Lehrer sollte es sich nicht anmerken lassen, dass ihn die Fehler der Schüler amüsieren; to keep somebody amusedjdn unterhalten, jdm die Zeit vertreiben; give him his toys, that’ll keep him amusedgib ihm sein Spielzeug, dann ist er friedlich; to keep oneself amusedsich (dat)die Zeit vertreiben; he was anything but amused to find the door lockeder fand es keineswegs or durchaus nicht komisch, dass die Tür verschlossen war; we are not amused (hum)das ist nicht besonders komisch; I am not amused (hum)ich finde das nicht lustig
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in classic literature ?
Emily was listening--but he had not succeeded in choosing a subject that amused her.
Philip, surprised and a little amused, looked into her eyes, and as he looked he saw them soften and grow liquid, and there was an expression in them that enchanted him.
He was extremely fond of her, glad to be with her, amused and interested by her conversation.
As you see" (he glanced with an amused air and good-natured smile at his coat and boots) "my things are worn out and I have no money, so I was going to ask the count..."
Swaying his head and smiling as if amused at himself, the officer ran almost at a trot through the deserted streets toward the Yauza bridge to overtake his regiment.
Mamma thinks the whole thing--the place and the people, the manners and customs--very amusing; but mamma is very easily amused. As for me, you know, all that I ask is to be let alone, and not to have people's society forced upon me.
Laurie went away, and his guest amused herself in her own way.
I am supposed to amuse myself, and, to tell the truth, I have amused myself.
But Bellegarde's confidences greatly amused him, and rarely displeased him, for the generous young Frenchman was not a cynic.
"What is it?" asked Pontellier, looking lazily and amused from one to the other.
Among the Indians and half-breeds of the party, were several admirable horsemen and bold hunters; who amused themselves with a grotesque kind of buffalo bait.
Their moral eccentricities, like their oddities of dress, their wild theories and paradoxes, were an entertainment which amused her, but had not the slightest influence on her convictions.