soap opera

[op-er-uh, op-ruh]

noun

1. a radio or television series depicting the interconnected lives of many characters often in a sentimental, melodramatic way.

soap opera

noun

1. a serialized drama, usually dealing with domestic themes and characterized by sentimentality, broadcast on radio or television

Word History and Origins

Origin of soap opera¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; so called because soap manufacturers were among the original sponsors of such programs

Word History and Origins

Origin of soap opera¹

C20: so called because manufacturers of soap were typical sponsors

Idioms and Phrases

A radio or television serial with stock characters in domestic dramas that are noted for being sentimental and melodramatic. For example, She just watches soap operas all day long . This term originated in the mid-1930s and was so called because the sponsors of the earliest such radio shows were often soap manufacturers.

Real-life situation resembling one that might occur in a soap opera, as in She just goes on and on about her various medical and family problems, one long soap opera . [1940s]

Related Words

• melodrama 
• serial 
• soap