comic

American  

[kom-ik] / ˈkɒm ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by comedy.

   comic opera.

2. of or relating to a person who acts in or writes comedy.

   a comic actor; a comic dramatist.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of comedy.

   comic situations; a comic sense.

4. provoking laughter; humorous; funny; laughable.

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noun

• comics
  plural

1. a comedian.

2. comic book.

3. comics, comic strips.

4. the comic, the element or quality of comedy in literature, art, drama, etc..

   An appreciation of the comic came naturally to her.

comic British  

/ ˈkɒmɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characterized by, or characteristic of comedy

2. (prenominal) acting in, writing, or composing comedy

   a comic writer

3. humorous; funny

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noun

1. a person who is comic, esp a comic actor; comedian

2. a book or magazine containing comic strips

3. (usually plural) comic strips in newspapers, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncomic
  adjective
• quasi-comic
  adjective
• semicomic
  adjective
• uncomic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• comics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of comic

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cōmicus < Greek kōmikós, equivalent to kôm ( os ) a revel + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Comic things have something to do with silliness, like the comic section in the newspaper or a comic scene in your favorite funny movie. Someone who tells jokes professionally is also a comic. If you want to be a comic, you're going to need to come up with a lot of comic material, jokes and stories that make people laugh. If standing up in front of a crowd isn't your thing, but you still want to tell funny tales, you might try drawing a comic strip instead! Comic goes back to the Greek kōmōidia, "amusing spectacle," and its roots, meaning "merrymaking" and "singer or poet."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comic comics

And just as there are occasional celebrity cameos at a Trump rally, there was one at the midterm convention, where early-aughts comic Adam Carolla did a routine.

From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026

She has previously opened up about experiencing homelessness in her early days as a comic, as well as the time she spent in foster care as a child.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

“What happens in Telluride stays in Telluride,” she told the crowd, before bringing out Nathan Fielder, the deadpan comic mind behind the reality-bending television shows “Nathan for You,” “The Rehearsal” and “The Curse.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

This is coming from someone who owes his fame to the digital age, after making his name with comic videos as characters like upper-class drill rapper Unknown P and chef Jonny Oliver.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

The manager had to come over, and they were given a new server who didn’t care about the cash value or telos of a comic book.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

The museum aims to celebrate visual storytelling in all its forms: among them fine art, photography, comics, science-fiction illustrations and, of course, movies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

But award show producers weren’t totally ready to give up on comics altogether.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

The 46-year-old is one of the best known stand-up comics in the UK, having appeared on shows such as Mock The Week and Russell Howard's Good News.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Or, if you prefer superheroes: HBO’s new show adapts DC’s Green Lantern comics, but the series offers more than just your typical superhero fare.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, Noodles decided to break down how, over the last few days, with all the time to himself, he figured out why he loved comics so much.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• clown
• comedian
• humorist
• stooge