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

---

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• comedial
  adjective
• procomedy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• comedies
  plural

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

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

To pass the time, Mauri surfs YouTube, listens to music or stand-up comedy, or watches golf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

After a stab at acting, Mr. David found a home in New York’s comedy clubs, where his quirky vignettes earned the admiration of his peers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Gwenllian has most recently been filming a dark comedy set in Swansea.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Seasoned female comics like Croonquist, who have navigated the industry’s ups and downs firsthand, are among those steering comedy mentorship programs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Eliminating those unfamiliar with the Stooges’ slapstick, physical, lowbrow comedy, I found that an overwhelming 8 percent of my sample admitted to such an indulgence.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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

"Hacks," the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her, had led the way for comedies with 24 nominations, compared to 19 for "Widow's Bay."

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Selected by a special panel of filmmakers and critics, the films on this list span over 100 years of cinema and include comedies, horror flicks, dramas, documentaries, and beyond.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

Few directors make romantic comedies about exes, but they should.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

And it’s not the sort of unwanted of romantic comedies, where it means they’ll end up together in the end.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• farce
• fun
• humor
• satire
• sitcom