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:
He was the first stand-up comedian to convert an online fan base into massive fame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
When his fans heeded Cook’s call to buy his 2005 live album, “Retaliation,” they made him the first comedian to score a Top 5 release on the Billboard albums chart since Steve Martin in 1978.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The comedian and actor, 51, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Monday.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
In the end, however, he was voted off the show in its dying moments, when comedian Romesh Ranganathan couldn't shake the idea that Blunt was in cahoots with the traitorous Maya Jama.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
He got a great hand before the manager threw us out, and Fay said everyone thought I was a wonderful comedian and everyone liked my moron act.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
In 2001, Dave started a Chicago company representing musicians, actors, comedians and so on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Of all the comedians in the castle, Joanne McNally was initially the least well known, says Caroline Frost, TV editor at Radio Times.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Most comedians are — how do I put this gently — known to be some level of unwell.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
A comedian shares his serious side: Murray Hill is an old-school entertainer in the mold of retro lounge singers and Borscht Belt comedians.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
He was hard to read, like all those dry British comedians her father liked.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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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.
