slapstick
noun
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The idea that knocking people about made for good comedy dates as far back as the Greco-Roman theater, where clowns rambunctiously "attacked" one another onstage. The object from which the word slapstick derives, however, was invented in Italy in the 16th century. Renaissance comedy typically featured stock characters placed in ridiculous situations, and one such ubiquitous character was Harlequin, whose brilliant costuming made him easily recognizable. Harlequin was given to wielding a paddle which was designed to make a terrible noise when he hit someone, usually to the delight of the audience. This paddle was eventually known in English as a "slapstick," and it became a symbol of that type of highly physical comedy. The word slapstick then came to refer to the comedy itself.
Examples of slapstick in a Sentence
Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Summer this year mixed slapstick ultra-violence with kid-friendly fare, with another massively successful July release in Despicable Me 4 also targeted to younger audiences.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Early pantomime theater generally combined two parts: first, a play; and second, a buffoonish slapstick drama featuring four stock characters borrowed from commedia dell’arte: Harlequin; his lady love, Columbine; a grumpy antagonist named Pantaloon; and his assistant, the Clown.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 18 Dec. 2024
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has everything that made the Indiana Jones movies so memorable – whips, slapstick punches and even that cinema stalwart, the Wilhelm scream.
—Ryan Benk, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slapstick. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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