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

• comedial
  adjective
• procomedy
  adjective

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

Colbert took the reins of Letterman’s comedy tradition once he received the green light from CBS to reclaim the aspects of his Comedy Central self.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

Before taking over for David Letterman on CBS, Colbert was on the cable channel Comedy Central.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Michael Harris-Wakelam, CEO of non-profit Big Difference - which runs Leicester Comedy Festival - said organisers were committed to paying comedians but were waiting on the money themselves.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

For hundreds of years, readers have interpreted Satan's descent in the Divine Comedy as a spiritual fall from grace.

From Science Daily • May 11, 2026

To our tiny audience, it must have looked as though we were playing not The Tragedy of Hamlet but The Comedy of Errors.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Related Words

• farce
• fun
• humor
• satire
• sitcom