comic

American  

[kom-ik] / ˈkɒm ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by comedy.

   comic opera.

2. of or relating to a person who acts in or writes comedy.

   a comic actor; a comic dramatist.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of comedy.

   comic situations; a comic sense.

4. provoking laughter; humorous; funny; laughable.

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noun

1. a comedian.

2. comic book.

3. comics, comic strips.

4. the comic, the element or quality of comedy in literature, art, drama, etc..

   An appreciation of the comic came naturally to her.

comic British  

/ ˈkɒmɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characterized by, or characteristic of comedy

2. (prenominal) acting in, writing, or composing comedy

   a comic writer

3. humorous; funny

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noun

1. a person who is comic, esp a comic actor; comedian

2. a book or magazine containing comic strips

3. (usually plural) comic strips in newspapers, etc

Other Word Forms

• noncomic adjective
• quasi-comic adjective
• semicomic adjective
• uncomic adjective

Etymology

Origin of comic

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cōmicus < Greek kōmikós, equivalent to kôm ( os ) a revel + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

The comic’s statement continued: “I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.”

From Los Angeles Times

The “duck and cover” drills are always treated as the baby boomers’ comic trauma, but it wasn’t so comic.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a love story, “Fantasy Life” isn’t particularly original, but the low-key way Mr. Shear realizes some familiar situations is warm and human, with comic aspects and sad ones kept in an appealing balance.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a protagonist continually getting in his own way, Shah is a classic sort of comic character.

From Los Angeles Times

The weeklong festival offered diverse panels for creatives, comics, and writers along with packed comedy shows with mental health as its central theme on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clown
• comedian
• humorist
• stooge