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:
It would be irresponsible not to say right off that “Alley Cats,” written and directed by the comedian Ricky Gervais, is so gleefully vulgar it could make a TV critic blush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Scottish comedian Jerry Sadowitz’s show in 2022 was canceled by the venue where he was performing on account of what some staff considered extreme and offensive material.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Earlier this year the comedian recorded a special audio guide for the art gallery, where he gave his memories regarding 12 items found at Kelvingrove.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
His hand rests on his heart as he evangelizes her writing — a surprisingly tender moment of sentimentality from a comedian who has made a career out of stinging misanthropy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Jasper Jr. said I was a real comedian.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
In March the museum's Jane Rowlands said Connolly, widely regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time, was the obvious choice to present a personal guide to the art gallery.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The show is billed around interviewing musicians, actors and comedians over a plate of nuggets.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 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 are comedians that have way better written jokes than I do, of course, that’s great, and I think that they should follow that.
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.
