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

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

The Clacton contest is being boycotted by the other main Westminster parties, who view his actions a stunt, leaving comedy candidate Count Binface as the highest-profile opponent for the Reform UK leader.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026

For a certain swath of millennials, Dan Finnerty’s rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of The Heart” in the frat comedy “Old School” is its definitive performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026

The best bits of the movie are the ones that allow Mr. Slattery and Mr. Hamm to work their comedy muscles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

Its HBO Max sibling “Hacks” scored 24 nominations for its fifth season swan song, setting a new record for the top comedy category.

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026

It was just a Bollywood comedy, but I loved it.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

Related Words

• farce
• fun
• humor
• satire
• sitcom