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:
Count Binface -- the alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey -- exceeded expectations, however, taking 9,455 votes, 27 percent of the total.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The man inside the bin is the comedian Jon Harvey, an Oxford graduate who has specialised in satire, writing scripts for BBC comedy shows The Thick of It and Have I Got News For You.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“My first podcast here in a while,” Segura began the episode, guest co-hosted by fellow comedian Ryan Sickler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ms. Bridgers’s romantic partner is comedian and musician Bo Burnham, and the explosive “Bobby” is one of several songs that seem drawn from their relationship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
She turned to the bigger one and said: “Yo, Jules, he’s one of them comedian guys.”
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
But Declan’s turf is the raffish seaside town of Blackpool, home to cheeky postcards and stand-up comedians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Gilligan said he still visited family in the area, adding he and fellow comedians performed a gig to help with fundraising to safeguard the future of Cadoxton Conservative Club in February.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The trick is that in addition to being accomplished comedians, Mr. Segel and Ms. Weaving are also first-rate dramatic actors: Their hatred feels genuine, which only makes the jokes funnier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
There’s a lot more dry comedians coming out of New York.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
I now know why comedians are important in culture.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Definitions 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.
