comedy

American  

[kom-i-dee] / ˈkɒm ɪ di /

noun

• comedies
  plural

1. a play, movie, etc., of light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.

2. that branch of the drama which concerns itself with this form of composition.

3. the comic element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.

4. any literary composition dealing with a theme suitable for comedy, or employing the methods of comedy.

5. any comic or humorous incident or series of incidents.

   Synonyms:

   banter, pleasantry, humor

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comedy British  

/ ˈkɒmɪdɪ /

noun

1. a dramatic or other work of light and amusing character

2. the genre of drama represented by works of this type

3. (in classical literature) a play in which the main characters and motive triumph over adversity

4. the humorous aspect of life or of events

5. an amusing event or sequence of events

6. humour or comic style

   the comedy of Chaplin

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comedy Cultural  

1. A work — play, story, novel, or film — that ends happily for the main character (or protagonist) and contains humor to some degree. A comedy may involve unhappy outcomes for some of the characters. Shylock, for example, in The Merchant of Venice, a comedy by William Shakespeare, is disgraced in the play. The ancient Greeks and Romans produced comedies, and great numbers have been written in modern times.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• comedial
  adjective
• procomedy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• comedies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of comedy

1350–1400; Middle English comedye < Medieval Latin cōmēdia, Latin cōmoedia < Greek kōmōidía, equivalent to kōmōid ( ós ) comedian ( kômo ( s ) merry-making + aoidós singer) + -ia -y ³

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Explanation

A comedy is funny business — it can be an amusing play or movie with a happy ending, or something that happened that made you laugh. A comedy tries to entertain through honest depictions of life, unlike burlesque, which aims to please its audience through satire, or farce, which relies on absurdity. Charlie Chaplin observed, “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” In other words (of disputed origin), "Tragedy plus time equals comedy." When you slipped on that banana peel and broke your nose? Tragedy! But once you got better, you realized it was actually kind of funny.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comedy comedies

No one understands their audience better than she does, knowing comedy relies as much on observation as on good, old-fashioned slapstick.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Their last film together was 2018's "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", an offbeat Oscar-nominated Western starring Tim Blake Nelson, which followed the 1950s Hollywood-set satirical comedy "Hail, Caesar!" in 2016.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The actor, best known for portraying Nick Miller on the hit comedy series, is looking to part ways with the four-bedroom, four-bathroom property, which offers approximately 3,153 square feet of living space.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Where the movies are big, loud, overpopulated machines, the TV series are full of interesting ideas, weird notions and good comedy and give their characters room to breathe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

A small piece of paper slid out from between the pages—an invitation to Cynthia Sower's comedy show.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds

In some of the studios, company staffers join guest actors and influencers making quick comedies and mini-dramas about domestic life featuring a Reckitt brand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

"For a black comedy, the numbers are not bad, but black comedies are small films and this isn't a small film, it's a Tom Cruise movie," Gross wrote.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Accompanied by her sidekick and netherworld patron King Grimsquawk – a crowned raven-baby holding a scepter – Workman conjures up one of the funniest small-screen comedies that isn’t officially on TV.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

Her Mexican American loved ones enjoy comedies like “Jackass” and “White Chicks,” while her more religious Australian relatives watch the Oscars and love classics like “Funny Girl.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

He’s been in thirty-eight dramas, twelve crime pictures and comedies, eleven thrillers, eight action films, seven Westerns, six war movies, four documentaries, three horror flicks, two sci-fi films, and a musical, among others.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

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Related Words

• farce
• fun
• humor
• satire
• sitcom

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