low comedy

noun

1. comedy that depends on physical action, broadly humorous or farcical situations, and often bawdy or vulgar jokes.

low comedy

noun

1. comedy characterized by slapstick and physical action

Other Word Forms

• low comedian noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of low comedy¹

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Sounds sad, but the show blends high and low comedy with weighty themes and melancholic moments.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bottom’s acting troupe, meanwhile, provides low comedy of the highest order, as the bickering performers rehearse their play with a heaping dose of vaudevillian slapstick.

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What connects the novels and the stories is Barry’s style, a nervy mix of high poetry and low comedy that he applies with unceasing vigor.

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Beckett, who miraculously balanced high literature with low comedy, is too complex for single-minded interpretations.

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But he’s now knocking 70 and suffering through an undignified low comedy of back problems, tinnitus and spiritual malaise.

Read more on The Guardian