comedian

noun

co·​me·​di·​an kə-ˈmē-dē-ən 

1

archaic

a

: a writer of comedies

b

: an actor who plays comic roles

2

: a comical individual

specifically : a professional entertainer who uses any of various physical or verbal means to be amusing

Synonyms

• card
• comic
• droll
• farceur
• funnyman
• gagger
• gagman
• gagster
• humorist
• jester
• joker
• jokester
• wag
• wit

Examples of comedian in a Sentence

You'll like my friend. He's a real comedian.

struggled to eke out a living as a comedian in nightclubs

Recent Examples on the Web

From his early days doing stand-up in the 1980s to his groundbreaking role on ABC’s George Lopez, the pioneering comedian, now 63, has always been a champion of Latino voices. —Nik Popli, TIME, 12 Sep. 2024

The veteran comedian’s new hour will be her second, on the heels of Talking to Myself, exec produced by Bill Burr, which premiered on Comedy Central in 2019. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024

The comedian, 52, recently returned from dropping her eldest daughter Pearl, 18, off at college for the first time. —Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024

Larry David, the lovingly curmudgeonly comedian who helped create two of the greatest TV shows of all time, is coming to the Fox Theatre on Oct. 24. —Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

comedian

noun

co·​me·​di·​an kə-ˈmēd-ē-ən 

1

: an actor who plays in comedy

2

: a comical individual

especially : a humorous professional entertainer