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View synonyms for

comedy

[kom-i-dee]

noun

plural

comedies 
  1. a play, movie, etc., of light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.

  2. that branch of the drama which concerns itself with this form of composition.

  3. the comic element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.

  4. any literary composition dealing with a theme suitable for comedy, or employing the methods of comedy.

  5. any comic or humorous incident or series of incidents.

    Synonyms: , ,


comedy

/ ˈɒɪɪ /

noun

  1. a dramatic or other work of light and amusing character

  2. the genre of drama represented by works of this type

  3. (in classical literature) a play in which the main characters and motive triumph over adversity

  4. the humorous aspect of life or of events

  5. an amusing event or sequence of events

  6. humour or comic style

    the comedy of Chaplin

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

comedy

  1. A work — play, story, novel, or film — that ends happily for the main character (or protagonist) and contains humor to some degree. A comedy may involve unhappy outcomes for some of the characters. Shylock, for example, in The Merchant of Venice, a comedy by William Shakespeare, is disgraced in the play. The ancient Greeks and Romans produced comedies, and great numbers have been written in modern times.

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Other Word Forms

  • comedial adjective
  • procomedy adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of comedy1

1350–1400; Middle English comedye < Medieval Latin ōŧ徱, Latin ōDZ徱 < Greek ōōí, equivalent to ōō ( ó ) comedian ( ô ( s ) merry-making + aoidó singer) + -ia -y 3
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Word History and Origins

Origin of comedy1

C14: from Old French dzé徱, from Latin ōDZ徱, from Greek ōōia, from ōDz village festival + aeidein to sing
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a fresh, elevated take on the romantic comedy, where Dakota Johnson must grapple with the impossible decision of choosing between Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans?

From

Both actors were drawn to the series in part because of its unique tone, which lands somewhere between action, comedy and drama.

From

One of those cassingles, or perhaps a subsequent bootleg, landed in the hands of novelty comedy radio host Dr. Demento who had Wilson on his show as a guest in January 1992.

From

I have the respect of my peers, in comedy and now in acting.

From

“And ‘Parks and Recreation’ is absolutely one of the top three comedies of the 21st century,” Lynch says.

From

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come down withcomedy of errors