comedy
[ kom-i-dee ]
/ ˈkɒm ɪ di /
noun, plural com·e·dies.
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.
that branch of the drama which concerns itself with this form of composition.
the comic element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.
any literary composition dealing with a theme suitable for comedy, or employing the methods of comedy.
any comic or humorous incident or series of incidents.
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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 -y3
SYNONYMS FOR comedy
Related forms
co·me·di·al [kuh-mee-dee-uhl] /kəˈmi di əl/, adjectivepro·com·e·dy, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for comedy
British Dictionary definitions for comedy
comedy
/ (ˈkɒmɪdɪ) /
noun plural -dies
a dramatic or other work of light and amusing character
the genre of drama represented by works of this type
(in classical literature) a play in which the main characters and motive triumph over adversity
the humorous aspect of life or of events
an amusing event or sequence of events
humour or comic stylethe comedy of Chaplin
Word Origin for comedy
C14: from Old French comédie, from Latin cōmoedia, from Greek kōmōidia, from kōmos village festival + aeidein to sing
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Culture definitions for comedy
comedy
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.