seriocomic

American  

[seer-ee-oh-kom-ik] / ˌsɪər i oʊˈkɒm ɪk /

Sometimes seriocomical

adjective

1. partly serious and partly comic.

   a seriocomic play.

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seriocomic British  

/ ˌsɪərɪəʊˈkɒmɪk /

adjective

1. mixing serious and comic elements

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Other Word Forms

• seriocomically adverb

Etymology

Origin of seriocomic

First recorded in 1775–85; seri(ous) + -o- + comic

Example Sentences

Perry, 40, is best known for seriocomic indie films such as “Listen Up Philip” and “Her Smell.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2025

For Ben Stiller and Adam Scott, the positive response to their seriocomic dystopian Apple TV+ series “Severance” means different kinds of relief.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2022

That season, another bleak and sometimes seriocomic skewering of contemporary society and technology, featured Anthony Mackie, Miley Cyrus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topher Grace, Andrew Scott, and more.

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2020

Hanif’s deftness at this kind of seriocomic storytelling has often, almost reflexively now, gotten him compared to Joseph Heller.

From Washington Post • May 30, 2019

After a conscientious perusal of the doctor, the most readable, and about the only presentable thing we can find in him, is the bit of seriocomic entitled The Last Leaf.

From International Weekly Miscellany - Volume 1, No. 6, August 5, 1850 by Various