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

There’s a regular back and forth between a dystopic L.A. and a really dystopic L.A. that provides a lot of the comic ammunition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

And “Apex Hides the Hurt” is a comic novel about the conflicts that arise in a small town when they hire a name consultant for a possible rebranding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

This anniversary offers an occasion to acquaint—or reacquaint—ourselves with this forgotten comic master.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

His cash cow: Mario Moreno, better known as Cantinflas, the improvisational comic genius sometimes called the “Mexican Charlie Chaplin.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

“I approach, you watch close, I’m a threat,” I rap, and there’s Malik’s secret footage of the clerk who followed us around the Midtown comic shop a few months ago.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Highlights include work by Norman Rockwell and Dorothea Lange, as well as a variety of manga, children’s book illustrations and comics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Moreover, it was entirely separate from the character’s source comics, with no mention of Batman to be found.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

By funneling its characters into every monetizable outlet imaginable—merchandise, books and comics, soundtracks, park attractions, Broadway and ice shows, corporate partnerships—Disney amortized costs across the many flywheel revenue opportunities spanning decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Ashley is an artist and uses images instead of words to create comics, due to her dyslexia.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

They read all the comics and didn’t worry about dripping milk shake on them or bending the covers.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Related Words

• clown
• comedian
• humorist
• stooge