soap opera

American  

[op-er-uh, op-ruh] / ˈɒp ər ə, ˈɒp rə /

noun

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

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soap opera British  

noun

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

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soap opera Idioms  

1. 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.

2. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of soap opera

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

Example Sentences

If it was a soap opera, he'd have been barred from the pub and written out the script.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

O’Hara earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe win for her portrayal of an out-of-touch, overly dramatic former soap opera star known for wearing zany wigs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The colorful Moira Rose was a city socialite and former soap opera star before her family’s fortune turned and they wound up living in “the sticks,” surrounded by simple folk.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

But as the satirically pompous, high-strung Moira Rose, the uncomfortably broke former soap opera queen and matriarch of the hit Canadian sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” O’Hara achieved universal acclaim and endless memeability.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026

It has suspense, tragedy, startling developments—a soap opera growing out of the ground.

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman

Related Words

• melodrama
• serial
• soap