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

Explanation

Comic things have something to do with silliness, like the comic section in the newspaper or a comic scene in your favorite funny movie. Someone who tells jokes professionally is also a comic. If you want to be a comic, you're going to need to come up with a lot of comic material, jokes and stories that make people laugh. If standing up in front of a crowd isn't your thing, but you still want to tell funny tales, you might try drawing a comic strip instead! Comic goes back to the Greek kōmōidia, "amusing spectacle," and its roots, meaning "merrymaking" and "singer or poet."

Example Sentences

Before setting off from Weymouth on 13 March, James hailed the bike as a "beautiful thing" that will "hopefully help me raise a huge sum of money for Comic Relief."

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Mills was last seen on TV in March on a Traitors skit during Comic Relief.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

It costs about £10 to collect, wash and distribute each package - and this week the charity will receive help from Comic Relief.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Chief executive Julie Waller spoke to BBC Radio Manchester about her role in founding the organisation ahead of Comic Relief's 2026 event in Salford on Friday evening.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

They cut across the lawn and headed west, toward the building marked by a star on the Little Comic Con map Rishi was holding.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• clown
• comedian
• humorist
• stooge