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
More tellingly, she is driven to pursue a career in comedy.
—
Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
In Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy Argylle, which has just started streaming on Apple TV+, Bryce Dallas Howard is on the run from assassins with her Scottish Fold Alfie.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Jim Downey, the comedy writer who oversaw Weekend Update at the time, recalls that superagent Bernie Brillstein was pushing client Bill Maher for the role, while Warren Littlefield, then the president of NBC Entertainment, favored longtime writer Al Franken.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Popular on Variety The live-action comedy was written by Vernon Chatman.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
She's set to play comedy writer and actress Rosie Shuster in the upcoming Saturday Night Live origin biopic SNL 1975.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
His stabs at comedy, thankfully infrequent, are no joke.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
That question serves as the basis for both absurdist comedy and serious philosophical inquiry, though the line between the two is never totally fixed in place.
—Brad Sanders, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Maximus, on the other hand, is mostly bland and forgettable, until a couple of episodes late in the season lean more into comedy with him.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
In Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy Argylle, which has just started streaming on Apple TV+, Bryce Dallas Howard is on the run from assassins with her Scottish Fold Alfie.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Jim Downey, the comedy writer who oversaw Weekend Update at the time, recalls that superagent Bernie Brillstein was pushing client Bill Maher for the role, while Warren Littlefield, then the president of NBC Entertainment, favored longtime writer Al Franken.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Popular on Variety The live-action comedy was written by Vernon Chatman.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
She's set to play comedy writer and actress Rosie Shuster in the upcoming Saturday Night Live origin biopic SNL 1975.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
His stabs at comedy, thankfully infrequent, are no joke.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
That question serves as the basis for both absurdist comedy and serious philosophical inquiry, though the line between the two is never totally fixed in place.
—Brad Sanders, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Maximus, on the other hand, is mostly bland and forgettable, until a couple of episodes late in the season lean more into comedy with him.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comedy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing comedy
Articles Related to comedy
Dictionary Entries Near comedy
Cite this Entry
“Comedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comedy. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
comedy
noun
com·e·dy
ˈkäm-əd-ē 
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
Nglish: Translation of comedy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of comedy for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about comedy
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