comedy of manners

American  

noun

1. a comedy satirizing the manners and customs of a social class, especially one dealing with the amorous intrigues of fashionable society.

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comedy of manners British  

noun

1. a comedy dealing with the way of life and foibles of a social group

2. the genre represented by works of this type

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Etymology

Origin of comedy of manners

First recorded in 1815–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comedy of manners

Morris fancies Bridget’s struggle to adapt as the franchise’s latest play on its classic comedy of manners.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2025

"The comedy of manners plays with the mores of civilization; it can lose its charm when civilisation succumbs to barbarity. In life, as in comedy, timing is essential."

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2024

Perhaps that is why the campus lends itself so readily to satire; it’s one of the few places contained yet familiar enough in which to stage a comedy of manners.

From New York Times ● May 13, 2022

This messy comedy of manners charms readers with a family adapting to change with stubbornness and love.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2022

The chat rooms made her blog feel inconsequential, a comedy of manners, a mild satire about a world that was anything but mild.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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