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• comic opera
  comic opera

  noun

  a diverting opera with spoken dialogue and a happy ending.
• comic-opera
  comic-opera

  adjective

  comically vainglorious; having farcically self-important aspects.

comic opera

¹ American  

noun

1. a diverting opera with spoken dialogue and a happy ending.

2. the tradition or genre of such operas.

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comic-opera ² American  

[kom-ik-op-er-uh, -op-ruh] / ˈkɒm ɪkˈɒp ər ə, -ˈɒp rə /

adjective

1. comically vainglorious; having farcically self-important aspects.

   a comic-opera army, proud in its ceremonial splendor but inept on the battlefield.

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comic opera British  

noun

1. a play largely set to music, employing comic effects or situations See also opéra bouffe opera buffa

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Etymology

Origin of comic opera

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Hemingway once wrote, “And Barcelona. You should see Barcelona. It is all still comic opera… Barcelona makes you laugh.”

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2025

In "La Fille du Regiment," Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera, the Canadian-American actress plays the Duchess of Krakenthorp, who reluctantly marries off her son.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

He wrote his last complete comic opera for Yaw’s voice, as the lead in “The Rose of Persia.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2024

And aside from small, specialized troupes — a local Gilbert & Sullivan society, or Ohio Light Opera — the United States doesn’t really have any comic opera companies.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2022

“It’s like a comic opera to-day. Maybe I'm hungry.”

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway