comic relief

American  

noun

1. an amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action.

2. relief from tension caused by the introduction or occurrence of a comic element, as by an amusing human foible.

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Etymology

Origin of comic relief

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comic relief

“He’s there for comic relief to a large degree,” Gerber says.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Paige’s Mariah is airhead-ish comic relief and fabulous at it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

This no doubt came as comic relief to the Cuban diaspora in the U.S. who had their property and wealth expropriated years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

Some of them—say, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s 2012 motorcycle crash with a female employee–even get milked for comic relief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025

The thing is, we never saw him as a person, just as an object of comic relief.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman