comedian
Americannoun
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a professional entertainer who amuses by relating anecdotes, acting out comical situations, engaging in humorous repartee, etc.
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an actor in comedy.
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a writer of comedy.
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any comical or amusing person.
noun
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an entertainer who specializes in jokes, comic skits, etc
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an actor in comedy
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an amusing or entertaining person: sometimes used ironically
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of comedian
Explanation
A comedian tells jokes for a living. If you have the ability to crack everyone up at the dinner table, your mom might say that you should be a comedian. Comedians perform in various ways: a stand-up comedian, for example, tells jokes on a stage at a comedy club. Other comedians might perform improvisational comedy routines in a group, or be featured in a funny movie. In the 16th century, a comedian was specifically a "comic poet," while later the words comedian and actor were briefly interchangeable. It comes from the Greek komoidia, "an amusing spectacle."
Vocabulary lists containing comedian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A life-sized pink woolly mammoth, Ozzy Osbourne, and an old phone are among some of the subjects comedian and artist Joe Lycett hopes will inspire others to get creative.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Bill was a multi-talented celebrity -- wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist," his agent David Foster said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The comedian stars in this comedically spotty 10-part series following a washed-up golfer as he tries to make a comeback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
One of them is a former television comedian.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
We're watching Twelfth Night in first period, because every English teacher is a comedian.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
The trick is that in addition to being accomplished comedians, Mr. Segel and Ms. Weaving are also first-rate dramatic actors: Their hatred feels genuine, which only makes the jokes funnier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Bill Oddie, who has died at the age of 85, was one of Britain's best known comedians and naturalists.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
There are comedians that have way better written jokes than I do, of course, that’s great, and I think that they should follow that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
When one of China's biggest stand-up comedians opened his show with a joke about the extraordinarily long rule of the country's leader Xi Jinping, it drew a cheer, alongside a smattering of approving profanities.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
There followed a comedians wheedling monologue, broken at last by applause, and a jolly band striking up.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
