comedian
Americannoun
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comedians
plural
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a professional entertainer who amuses by relating anecdotes, acting out comical situations, engaging in humorous repartee, etc.
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an actor in comedy.
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a writer of comedy.
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any comical or amusing person.
noun
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an entertainer who specializes in jokes, comic skits, etc
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an actor in comedy
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an amusing or entertaining person: sometimes used ironically
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of comedian
Explanation
A comedian tells jokes for a living. If you have the ability to crack everyone up at the dinner table, your mom might say that you should be a comedian. Comedians perform in various ways: a stand-up comedian, for example, tells jokes on a stage at a comedy club. Other comedians might perform improvisational comedy routines in a group, or be featured in a funny movie. In the 16th century, a comedian was specifically a "comic poet," while later the words comedian and actor were briefly interchangeable. It comes from the Greek komoidia, "an amusing spectacle."
Vocabulary lists containing comedian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"As predicted, Kenny's taken to this like a duck to water," the comedian said, visibly relieved.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The film, which screens Sunday at the Newport Beach Film Festival, stars comedian Aida Rodriguez as Glori, a Brooklyn-based artist and community-center worker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
While accepting the honor, the comedian thanked his daughter, Jane, and grandson, Jackson, before referring to Ah as his “sublime companion” and declaring his love for her.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Saturday’s episode was hosted by comedian Shane Gillis, with Rosalía as musical guest.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
We had not only found a driver, we’d found a comedian.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Some comedians like to say they give their audience a “night off” from the world.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Launched in 2009, the show was a pioneer of the long-form video-podcast format, with Rogan hosting fellow comedians, Hollywood A-listers, politicians, scientists and authors for wide-ranging conversations sometimes running over three hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Miele was one of the higher-paid comedians on the channel and had to be informed by her label, Ghost Runner, of what was on the horizon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
There are SO many comedians in this year's series.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
I now know why comedians are important in culture.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
