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
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Correspondent Faith Salie talks with the writers about a partnership that always manages to find the comic relief. David Morgan, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025 Mads Mikkelsen voices the bad-guy lion Kiros, and Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner provide some over-the-top comic relief as Pumbaa and Timon. Dina Gachman, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025 Starr was the fastest to comic relief and most averse to pretension in any form. Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025 As the comic relief, Connor’s best friend Greg (Jaboukie Young-White) pops in and out, offering unwanted advice to his buddy. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for comic relief

Word History

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of comic relief was in 1783

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Cite this Entry

“Comic relief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comic%20relief. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on comic relief

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