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

Etymology

Origin of operetta

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

Example Sentences

By 1934, Lubitsch had left Paramount for MGM, where he directed one last musical with Chevalier and MacDonald, a loose but fizzy adaptation of Franz Lehár’s operetta “The Merry Widow.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

The rock band Queen were the star guests at the Last Night of the Proms, giving their first ever symphonic performance of their rock operetta, Bohemian Rhapsody.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025

This was hardly the best operetta production during his long and celebrated decade of leadership at the Komische Oper.

From New York Times • Jul. 6, 2023

‘Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert’ The Strauss Symphony of America and a cohort of singers and dancers perform classic waltzes and operetta selections by Johann Strauss II in this festive offering.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2022

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