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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Supporting characters also left their mark, most notably Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear, the streetwise informant who balanced comic relief with genuine charm. Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Dennis Weaver is believable as Chester, Dillon’s assistant, but is a little too serious where some comic relief could be used to good effect. Hal Landers, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025 For years, humanoid robots appeared only occasionally—usually in the form of viral clips of the Boston Dynamics Atlas doing parkour or RoboCup humanoid league bloopers that served more as comic relief than serious news. Maya Cakmak, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2025 Frangulis is also there to support her when the match doesn't go her way — and to offer a little comic relief. Maddie Garfinkle, People.com, 27 Aug. 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 18 Sep. 2025.

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