comic

American  

[kom-ik] / ˈkɒm ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by comedy.

   comic opera.

2. of or relating to a person who acts in or writes comedy.

   a comic actor; a comic dramatist.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of comedy.

   comic situations; a comic sense.

4. provoking laughter; humorous; funny; laughable.

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noun

• comics
  plural

1. a comedian.

2. comic book.

3. comics, comic strips.

4. the comic, the element or quality of comedy in literature, art, drama, etc..

   An appreciation of the comic came naturally to her.

comic British  

/ ˈkɒmɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characterized by, or characteristic of comedy

2. (prenominal) acting in, writing, or composing comedy

   a comic writer

3. humorous; funny

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noun

1. a person who is comic, esp a comic actor; comedian

2. a book or magazine containing comic strips

3. (usually plural) comic strips in newspapers, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncomic
  adjective
• quasi-comic
  adjective
• semicomic
  adjective
• uncomic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• comics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of comic

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cōmicus < Greek kōmikós, equivalent to kôm ( os ) a revel + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Comic things have something to do with silliness, like the comic section in the newspaper or a comic scene in your favorite funny movie. Someone who tells jokes professionally is also a comic. If you want to be a comic, you're going to need to come up with a lot of comic material, jokes and stories that make people laugh. If standing up in front of a crowd isn't your thing, but you still want to tell funny tales, you might try drawing a comic strip instead! Comic goes back to the Greek kōmōidia, "amusing spectacle," and its roots, meaning "merrymaking" and "singer or poet."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comic comics

To be fair, Mr. Nichols does mine some comic value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Instagram post was filled with love for the comic icon, a regular guy eager to take a selfie with a fan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The exquisite comic reversal of the Turkey episode was that, this time, he was no longer directing the tableau.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

And as Britain's political landscape fragments, Binface has become more than a comic sideshow.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Arguing over anime and trading ideas for comic books.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

Typically people dress up as characters -- human or otherwise -- from movies, series, comics, pop culture, fantasy, roleplay or computer games.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

The show is normally anchored by a well-known comedian, who introduces two other comics to present their own stand-up routines at London's Hammersmith Apollo.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The first iteration of “The Remix” took place at Soho House in Los Angeles, which combined music and stand-up comedy by veteran comics like Carmen Morales, Francisco Ramos and Ian Edwards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

By funneling its characters into every monetizable outlet imaginable—merchandise, books and comics, soundtracks, park attractions, Broadway and ice shows, corporate partnerships—Disney amortized costs across the many flywheel revenue opportunities spanning decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

“My mom always leaves me food. She just works a lot. Plus, you don’t have any good stuff. The only comics you have are the ones I gave you.”

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

• clown
• comedian
• humorist
• stooge