English can be a very fun language, especially since there are so many funny words in English! You may have read a book or an article before and stumbled over (come across, tripped over) a funny looking word that you’ve never seen before. It very well may have been one of these funny words! It can be hard to figure out the meaning of funny words, since the meaning may not be immediately clear from context (the words around it).

To help you figure out the meanings of these funny words, we’ve included definitions from the dictionary, as well as some examples to help you understand these funny words in English. Check them out and spice up your vocabulary!

Bamboozled

(adjective): a state of confusion, or being deliberately fooled

Have you ever felt bamboozled? If you’re bamboozled, then you are feeling very confused, or someone has made you feel confused on purpose (with intention, knowing it). If someone has played a trick on you, you may feel very confused, or bamboozled. You may not feel bamboozled for very long, and the feeling will go away after you figure out what’s going on. But this funny word is a great way to describe that feeling of confusion!

For example:

He felt bamboozled after his friends played a joke on him. He didn’t know what was going on at first!
Are you trying to bamboozle me? You know I hate being confused!

Discombobulated

(adjective): something that is confused or disordered

It’s easy to feel discombobulated, especially when you’re in a rush (hurry) or you have a lot to do. Discombobulated is when things are out of order and that makes you confused. Think of when you’re getting ready to go to work in the morning. Sometimes you have trouble finding your keys, wallet, and headphones because they’re not where you thought they were. This may make you confused and you may have a harder time finding them. In this event, you would be discombobulated.

For example:

She misplaced her keys and felt discombobulated when she tried to find them on her way out the door.
Before I have my coffee in the morning, I usually feel discombobulated. It’s like I can never find what I’m looking for!

Brouhaha

(noun): uproar, great excitement or concern

Although brouhaha ends in “haha,” there’s usually nothing funny about a brouhaha (besides the word itself, of course)! A brouhaha is a large amount of concern or excitement over something. A brouhaha may be a lot of people complaining about something, yelling about something they find shocking, or causing a lot of concern among the general public (normal people). If you follow politics, you may hear the word brouhaha more often, as people get upset about policy and politicians.

For example:

There was a big brouhaha over the latest scandal from the governor’s office.
There was a brouhaha in the family when she said she was getting married. Her whole family thought she was too young.

Skedaddle

(verb): to leave somewhere very quickly

I love the word skedaddle. It’s one of my favorite funny words in English. It’s a great word to use when you want or need to leave somewhere. If you need to leave somewhere quickly, you can use the word skedaddle to describe it. Why not use this funny word the next time you have to go somewhere?

For example:

Come on, guys, let’s skedaddle! We’re going to be late!
I’ve had enough of this party. I’m going to skedaddle and go home.

Gobsmacked

(adjective): very surprised or shocked

Have you ever been completely surprised by something? Has anyone ever thrown you (given you) a surprise party? When everyone jumped out and yelled “surprise,” you may have been gobsmacked! If you are gobsmacked, you’re taken completely by surprise or are shocked by something. Have you ever experienced this feeling?

For example:

He was gobsmacked by the generosity shown by his friends when he was out of work.
She was gobsmacked by her boss’s decision. She didn’t expect it at all.

Flibbertigibbet

(noun): a frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person

Flibbertigibbet is not a very common word anymore, but it’s such a funny word that we had to include it in this list. A flibbertigibbet is an outdated (old, out of use) word for a silly person. They’re usually someone who is not very smart or is concerned with (interested in) unimportant things. If you have ever read Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Elizabeth’s mother is a good example of a flibbertigibbet.

For example:

She’s very nice, but she’s a bit of a flibbertigibbet. She can just be a bit silly.
A character in a book that’s a flibbertigibbet can provide a lot of comedy if the story is very serious.

Have you ever heard of any of these funny words? Which one is your favorite? Are there any that you think should be included in this list? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Check out these other popular blogs: Music Idioms in English, Academic English – The Dos and Don’ts, Question Words in English, or tips for A or An: The Rules and Exceptions in English!

Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, and likes to use funny words in English. They give a great new perspective on the language!