Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

romantic comedy

American  

noun

  1. a light and humorous movie, play, etc., whose central plot is a happy love story.

  2. a genre of comedy represented by such works.

Etymology

Origin of romantic comedy

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Debuting in third place was "The Drama," a romantic comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson about a couple unraveling just before their wedding.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

The film, which premiered January 9, nods to Rob Reiner’s canonical romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally.”

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

It’s a very romantic comedy, one that reunites the married actors on screen for the first time since 2004.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

It’s hands down the modern era’s sharpest and most honest romantic comedy, a perfectly aimed home run, and it’s no wonder he was advised to follow it up with another one just like it.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

I'm sitting on the couch watching a dumb romantic comedy with my parents.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.