Can something be funner or funnest?
Adjective
Fun is a word which many people find does not live up to its definition, especially when it is used as an adjective (meaning “full of fun” or “amusing, enjoyable, pleasant”). In fact, there is a sizable portion of the English-speaking world which does not consider fun to be a proper adjective at all; these people feel that it is only a noun, which is why you sometimes hear that you should write “it was so much fun,” rather than “it was so fun.” It thereby stands to reason that if fun is not an adjective, it should not be used in the comparative and superlative forms of funner and funnest.
However, we do provide a definition for the adjectival use of fun, due to the fact that it has been used in such a fashion since at least the mid-1800s. We also list funner and funnest as comparative and superlative forms, due to the fact that these words are often employed in this manner (although we recognize that there are some who accept fun as an adjective, but feel that “more fun” and “most fun” are preferable). Including funner and funnest is not a directive that you should use these forms; it is a recognition of their existence, and you should feel free to use them or avoid them, as you see fit.
Examples of fun in a Sentence
Noun
I can't remember when I've had so much fun. Sickness takes all the fun out of life.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
These may seem like nitpicks for a game whose core shoot-and-loot loop is just as fun and compelling as ever.— Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Borderlands 3 is a lot more Borderlands, in ways both good and bad," 17 Sep. 2019Enjoy the Coastal Prairie Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist’s fun and free Seabourne Nature Fest.— Houston Chronicle, "SL Fort Bend Calendar 091819," 16 Sep. 2019
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fun.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of fun
Noun
1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1802, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1
History and Etymology for fun
Noun, Verb, and Adjective
English dialect fun to hoax, perhaps alteration of Middle English fonnen, from fonne dupe
No comments:
Post a Comment