operetta

American  

[op-uh-ret-uh] / ˌɒp əˈrɛt ə /

noun

1. a short opera, usually of a light and amusing character.

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operetta British  

/ ˌɒpəˈrɛtə /

noun

1. a type of comic or light-hearted opera

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operetta Cultural  

1. Comic or lighthearted operas of the kind written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Operettas generally have a substantial amount of spoken (not sung) dialogue.

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Other Word Forms

• operettist
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of operetta

1760–70; < Italian, diminutive of opera opera ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

operetta

These mid-century dream teams revolutionized American theater by popularizing the integrated musical, a form which leveraged classic operetta elements like song and dance as narrative tools.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

But Lubitsch envisioned, as no one else did, what might come of marrying sound films with a modified form of operetta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026

The singer sported a Union Jack jester's hat for the traditional performance of Rule, Britannia! and blew kisses to the audience while singing Ruperto Chapí's tongue-twisting comic operetta Las Hijas Del Zebedeo.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2024

The production history of “Candide,” Leonard Bernstein’s operetta based on Voltaire’s novel, is as epic as the highs and lows of its title character’s journey in a volatile and menacing world.

From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2023

The tune for this ditty was suspiciously like a tune from Pirates on Holiday, the nautical operetta whose first act Penelope and the children had witnessed while visiting London some months earlier.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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