comedy

noun

com·​e·​dy ˈkä-mə-dē 

plural comedies

1

a

: a medieval narrative that ends happily

Dante's Divine Comedy

b

: a literary work written in a comic style or treating a comic theme

the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus

2

a

: a drama of light and amusing character and typically with a happy ending

a comedy about parenthood

b

: the genre of dramatic literature dealing with the comic or with the serious in a light or satirical manner compare tragedy

3

: a ludicrous or farcical event or series of events

a comedy of errors

4

a

: the comic element

the comedy of many life situations

b

: humorous entertainment

nightclub comedy

Synonyms

• farce
• humor
• slapstick

Examples of comedy in a Sentence

The new comedy is the network's most popular television show.

The movie includes a lot of physical comedy.

We couldn't help laughing out loud at the comedy of the situation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, the proud mom-of-three — and grandmother of two — is making a splash in comedy. —Katie Mannion, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025

Netflix has unveiled its 2025 Australian content lineup, featuring three new productions spanning mystery, comedy and social commentary. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025

Ken Flores, a rising star in stand-up comedy who recently appeared on the Netflix Is a Daily Joke podcast, has died. —EW.com, 30 Jan. 2025

Dark comedy Fabula, by Dutch director Michiel ten Horn, about a provincial criminal grappling with personal and professional failures, will open the festival, the first Dutch movie to do so since 2018. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin comoedia, from Latin, drama with a happy ending, from Greek kōmōidia, from kōmos revel + aeidein to sing — more at ode

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing comedy

• comedy drama
• comedy of errors
• comedy of manners
• cringe comedy
• high comedy
• low comedy
• musical comedy
• romantic comedy
• situation comedy

Kids Definition

comedy

noun

com·​e·​dy ˈkäm-əd-ē 

plural comedies

1

: a light amusing play with a happy ending

2

: a comic literary work

3

a

: an amusing or ridiculous event

b

: humorous entertainment