amusement

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Pleasurable interest

Nouns

1. amusement, entertainment; diversion, divertissement, distraction; recreation, hobby, avocation, relaxation, pastime, sport; labor of love, pleasure; night life; time of one's life.

2. (something amusing) fun, frolic, good time(s); laughter (See rejoicing), drollery, tomfoolery, mummery; pleasantry (See wit). Informal, laughs, ball, picnic. See cheerfulness.

3. (amusing actions) play, game, gambol, romp, prank, antic, caper, dido, knavery, rascality, roguery, lark, escapade, spree, skylarking; monkeyshine, monkey trick, practical joke. Informal, shenanigan.

4. festivity, revelry, merrymaking (See sociality); fete, festival, gala, revel (See drinking), carnival, Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, brawl, saturnalia, high jinks; banquet, wassail, carouse, carousal; picnic, field day; jubilee (See celebration). Slang, jamboree, blowout.

5. (location for amusement) theater, ballroom, music hall, nightclub, honky-tonk, discotheque; circus, big top; park, common(s), arbor, bowling green or alley, rink, casino, fairground, fun fair, amusement park, theme park, water park, resort, watering place; midway, boardwalk; playground, gymnasium, playroom. See arena, drama.

6. game[s]:

a. billiards, pool, snooker; pool table, bumper, chalk, crutch, lady's helper (inf.), rack; cue ball; carom, English, bank shot, table scratch, pocket.

b. chess, chessman, piece, pawn, knight, bishop, rook, castle, queen, king; castle, end game, stalemate, check.

c. backgammon, point, bar, home, inner or outer board, checker, blot.

d. checkers, draughts, queen.

e. dominoes, bone, muggins, sniff.

f. cards; playing card, ace, king, queen, jack, knave, joker, two-(etc.)spot, deuce, trey; [auction, duplicate, rubber or contract] bridge, whist, blackjack, canasta, casino, pinochle, bézique, rummy, cribbage, eights, [draw or stud] poker, écarté, euchre, fan tan, five hundred, gin rummy, go fish, hearts, hazard, I doubt it, jass, kal-abriâs, loo, macao, michigan, napoleon, Oh Hell, old maid, piquet, pitch, samba, sevens, skat, spoil five, stops, triomphe, concentration, solitaire, war, Uno.

g. gambling; craps, roulette, etc. (See chance).

h. (indoor games) Scrabble, Chinese checkers, go, pachisi, Othello, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, etc.; anagrams, bingo, cat's cradle, darts, jacks, musical chairs, pachinko, post office, skittle, tic-tack-toe.

i. (parlor games) categories, ghosts, charades, geography, animals, etc.; spin the bottle. Slang, car or train surfing; doctors and nurses.

j. (electronic games) Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, Xbox; asteroids, flight simulator, Myst, Pac-Man, Sim City, etc.

k. (outdoor games) Frisbee, rollerskating, Rollerblading; hopscotch, jump rope, leapfrog, hide and seek, tug-of-war, ring around the rosie, capture the flag; badminton, croquet, curling, horseshoes, miniature golf, quoits, shuffleboard, trapshooting.

7. fishing, hunting; aquatics, swimming; sports; paintball (See contention).

8. (item for amusement)

a. toy, plaything, bauble, top; Erector set, Etch A Sketch, jack-in-the-box, jigsaw puzzle, yo-yo, pinwheel, Slinky, squirt gun, water pistol, Silly Putty; model train, airplane, etc.

b. doll, Raggedy Ann or Andy doll, teddy bear, marionette, puppet, toy or tin soldier, action figure; hula hoop; Frisbee, beachball, beanbag; teetotum, knickknack; dollhouse.

c. merry-go-round, carousel, whirligig, Ferris wheel, roller coaster; jungle gym, rocking horse, teeter-totter, seesaw, slide, swing; water slide; skateboard, sled; bicycle (See vehicle).

d. jacks, blocks, marbles.

9. entertainment industry, show business; Hollywood, Broadway, television, radio, etc.

10. master of ceremonies, emcee, MC, entertainment or social director, host.

Verbs

1. amuse, entertain, divert, distract, recreate, delight, titillate.

2. amuse oneself; play (games, pranks, tricks, etc.); sport, disport, toy, revel, drown care; make merry, drive dull care away; frolic, gambol, frisk, romp, caper; sow one's wild oats, have one's fling, live it up, cut up; fool, mess, play, or monkey around; take one's pleasure; make holiday, go a-Maying, while away the time, kill time, dally; step out, have fun, have a ball or a time, cut a caper, horse around, paint the town [red], let the good times roll, carry on, cut loose, whoop it up, make a night of it, go to town, let one's hair down, blow or let off steam, roister. Slang, cut up, make whoopee, futz around; dick or screw around.

Adjectives

1. (causing amusement) amusing, entertaining, fun, diverting, recreative; festive; roguish, rompish, frisky, frolicsome, playful [as a kitten], sportive.

2. (result of amusement) amused, entertained, diverted, etc.

Adverbs — on the town; for fun, for the devil of it, for kicks.

Quotations — Life would be tolerable but for its amusements (George Lewis), Suppose entertainment is the Purpose of Life! (Philip Roth).

Antonyms, See weariness, pain.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. recreation, pastime, diversion; see entertainment 1 , 2 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

entertainment, diversion, pleasure, pastime, distraction, enjoyment, fun, sport, game, play, merriment, *laughs, *jollies. ''A metaphysical trick to deceive our anguish.''—Jean De Menasce.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The condition of being amused: entertainment, recreation. See EXCITE. 2. Something, especially a performance or show, designed to entertain: distraction, diversion, entertainment, recreation. See EXCITE.