comic relief
noun
: a relief from the emotional tension especially of a drama that is provided by the interposition of a comic episode or element
Examples of comic relief in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The movie feels more than a little down in the mouth, even with its string of cliffhangers, some visually impressive, tied together with some ill-fitting comic relief.
—
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Storer has also eased up on getting every moment of comic relief from the Faks family, although one longstanding Fak arc gets the spotlight (with a fun bit of casting).
—Linda Holmes, NPR, 26 June 2025
Charlotte, meanwhile, mainly provides comic relief, which is more than fine.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 May 2025
The rest of the cast does solid work, especially Turnbull, offering comic relief as Stéphanie’s hardnosed partner.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for comic relief
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.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Storer has also eased up on getting every moment of comic relief from the Faks family, although one longstanding Fak arc gets the spotlight (with a fun bit of casting).
—Linda Holmes, NPR, 26 June 2025
Charlotte, meanwhile, mainly provides comic relief, which is more than fine.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 May 2025
The rest of the cast does solid work, especially Turnbull, offering comic relief as Stéphanie’s hardnosed partner.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for comic relief
Cite this Entry
“Comic relief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comic%20relief. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share