comedian

noun

co·​me·​di·​an kə-ˈmē-dē-ən 

1

archaic

a

: a writer of comedies

b

: an actor who plays comic roles

2

: a comical individual

specifically : a professional entertainer who uses any of various physical or verbal means to be amusing

Synonyms

• card
• comic
• droll
• farceur
• funnyman
• gagger
• gagman
• gagster
• humorist
• jester
• joker
• jokester
• wag
• wit

Examples of comedian in a Sentence

You'll like my friend. He's a real comedian.

struggled to eke out a living as a comedian in nightclubs

Recent Examples on the Web

His talk with Rogan spanned North Korea, the UFC, UFOs and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which are areas of interest to the comedian’s largely young male audience. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

Berks County includes Reading, which has a large Latino and Hispanic population, and could offer a test case over whether a comedian’s controversial comments about Puerto Rico at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally last month could impact the former president. —Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

In the dying days of the race, Trump’s campaign may have suffered an unforced error following a mass rally at Madison Square Garden that alienated Puerto Ricans and Hispanics more generally following offensive remarks by a comedian invited to address the crowd. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024

Harris and her allies have repeatedly hit Trump for a comedian’s dig at Puerto Rico during the former president’s marquee Madison Square Garden event. —Darlene Superville, Twin Cities, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

comedian

noun

co·​me·​di·​an kə-ˈmēd-ē-ən 

1

: an actor who plays in comedy

2

: a comical individual

especially : a humorous professional entertainer