New Comedy

American  

noun

1. Greek comedy arising toward the end of the 4th century b.c. that employed stock characters and plots drawn from contemporary bourgeois life, the formulas of which were adopted by later Roman writers for the comic stage.

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Etymology

Origin of New Comedy

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

He has gone on to win both the BBC New Comedy Award and British Comedian of the Year, demonstrating the strength and mainstream appeal of the acts.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2023

Ridley, who won the BBC New Comedy award in 2014, is thought to be the first stand-up comedian in the UK to use a communication aid during his act.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2018

A Lucille Ball New Comedy Festival was held, but quickly fizzled in the early 1990s.

From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2012

Nicostratus, the youngest, is assigned by Athenaeus to the Middle Comedy, but belongs, as is shown by some of the names and characters of his pieces, to the New Comedy also.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 "Arculf" to "Armour, Philip" by Various

The New Comedy dropped the chorus, brought the diction close to real life, broke up the stiff forms and revelled in romance, variety, and adventure.

From Euripedes and His Age by Murray, Gilbert