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.

---

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

---

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

She largely attributed the success of “Peanuts” on social media to the comic strip’s suitability to visual platforms like Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times

A new take on the Dark Knight comic book hero that faces off against conquistador Hernán Cortés.

From Los Angeles Times

Intimate and accessible—it was written for television, first broadcast in 1951 and for many years thereafter—“Amahl” balances sweet, comic and serious elements without slipping into sentimentality.

From The Wall Street Journal

“A lot of people have asked me to adapt one of my comics,” he said in October at the Animation Is Film Festival in Hollywood.

From Los Angeles Times

And outspoken comic Russell Brand spent some time entertaining the crowd.

From Salon

Related Words

• clown
• comedian
• humorist
• stooge