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
With too many characters involved, the story flattens most of them into archetypes: Jack is the comic relief.
—
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024
With a steep $1.4 million budget (roughly $25 million today), Cimarron has not aged well, at least in terms of its manifest-destiny politics, casual theft of Native American land and Black servant characters played for comic relief.
—Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2024
In the meeting where the producers told the cast, Ms. Hall couldn’t resist a little comic relief.
—Kim Severson, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The comic relief took a million pounds off my back.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024
Javier Bardem as Stilgar wins big in the comic relief department.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
There are also the two comic relief characters Timon and Pumbaa.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024
Saba finds a driver, Nodar, who serves simultaneously as a straight-talking exemplar of Georgian fortitude, fellow sufferer (his young daughter has gone missing amid the strife) and comic relief.
—Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Awkwafina, often cast as the brazen comic relief, plays anxious game-show aficionado Anne, while the typically hyper-competent Sandra Oh plays Anne's messy older sister Jenny.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 27 Nov. 2023
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024
With a steep $1.4 million budget (roughly $25 million today), Cimarron has not aged well, at least in terms of its manifest-destiny politics, casual theft of Native American land and Black servant characters played for comic relief.
—Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2024
In the meeting where the producers told the cast, Ms. Hall couldn’t resist a little comic relief.
—Kim Severson, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The comic relief took a million pounds off my back.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024
Javier Bardem as Stilgar wins big in the comic relief department.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
There are also the two comic relief characters Timon and Pumbaa.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024
Saba finds a driver, Nodar, who serves simultaneously as a straight-talking exemplar of Georgian fortitude, fellow sufferer (his young daughter has gone missing amid the strife) and comic relief.
—Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Awkwafina, often cast as the brazen comic relief, plays anxious game-show aficionado Anne, while the typically hyper-competent Sandra Oh plays Anne's messy older sister Jenny.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 27 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comic relief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near comic relief
Cite this Entry
“Comic relief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comic%20relief. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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