situation comedy

American  

noun

1. a comedy drama, especially a television series made up of discrete episodes about the same group of characters, as members of a family.

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situation comedy British  

noun

1. Also called: sitcom.  (on television or radio) a comedy series involving the same characters in various day-to-day situations which are developed as separate stories for each episode

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Etymology

Origin of situation comedy

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The late Carl Reiner, who created the series and based Van Dyke’s TV writer on himself, called his star the single most talented man in situation comedy.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025

It is, in short, your basic “High School Musical”-“Glee”-“Smash”-“Waiting for Guffman”-type community-theater situation comedy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

But in the world of situation comedy, unlike that of prestige drama, unhappy families are all potentially happy families, or actually happy if only they knew it.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025

But they’ll be friendly before long and living together by the end of the second episode, amplifying the situation in the situation comedy.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

Together we resembled the cast of a dopey situation comedy, something called Grin and Bear It, or Hello, Dolly.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• sitcom