high comedy

American  

noun

1. comedy dealing with polite society, characterized by sophisticated, witty dialogue and an intricate plot.

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high comedy British  

noun

1. comedy set largely among cultured and articulate people and featuring witty dialogue Compare low comedy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• high comedian
  noun

Etymology

Origin of high comedy

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Williams was careful to make that moment of high comedy fit the tone.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2022

Moreover, scenes of Kempton on the witness stand in the courtroom provide moments of high comedy.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2022

For golf fans of a certain age, televised interviews with Masters winners by Augusta National chairmen were once considered high comedy.

From Golf Digest • Apr. 6, 2020

McCabe’s accounts of his baffled interactions with Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general, would be high comedy if they were not so dire.

From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2019

But the question that must occur to the critical mind is, "Did the author mean this piece for high comedy, or farcical comedy?"

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, December 5, 1891 by Various