comedy

noun

com·​e·​dy ˈkä-mə-dē How to pronounce comedy (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Examples include Africa United, a comedy about young Rwandan soccer players; The Trial of Jeff David, a true crime podcast detailing the lives of former slaves falsely accused of murder in the 1800s; and Black Enuf, a cartoon about LGBT hip-hop lovers. PC Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025 Glickman knew that a successful relaunch required one essential ingredient — the involvement of Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans, the siblings who gave those popular comedies their subversive spark. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025 The festival’s centerpiece headliner will be Deep Cover, a new action comedy from Tom Kingsley, that stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed as a group of amateur improv comedians who get sucked into the London criminal underworld. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2025 The pair also co-wrote Coen’s 2024 crime comedy Drive-Away Dolls that starred Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan and Pedro Pascal. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for comedy

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of comedy was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Comedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comedy. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

comedy

noun
com·​e·​dy ˈkäm-əd-ē How to pronounce comedy (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on comedy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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