soap opera

noun

1

a

: a serial drama performed originally on a daytime radio or television program and chiefly characterized by tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment

b

: a series of real-life events resembling a soap opera

2

: the melodrama and sentimentality characteristic of a soap opera

even cops need a little soap opera in their lives

—Joseph Wambaugh

also : something (such as a novel) having such qualities

soap-operatic

ˈsōp-ˌä-pə-ˈra-tik 

adjective

Synonyms

• corn
• sludge

Examples of soap opera in a Sentence

She loves to watch daytime soap operas.

the movie started out well, but quickly devolved into improbable soap opera

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike any character on daytime television, his portrayal of Robert Scorpio helped define the soap opera genre and cemented his status in pop culture. —Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Like soap operas, The Gilded Age is melodramatic and often ridiculous, with a world populated by stock characters who live through endless plot twists. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025

Meanwhile, the Zak Starkey melodrama has turned into the messiest Who soap opera since Lifehouse. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2025

After appearing on the soap opera All My Children in 1995 and in the 1999 rom-com Notting Hill, Barton was cast as Kyra, a girl ghost whom Cole helps in The Sixth Sense. —Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from its sponsorship by soap manufacturers

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

soap opera

noun

: a radio or television drama presented in a series of continuing stories and characters and intended to appeal to the emotions

Etymology

so called because the advertisers on these programs were usually soap manufacturers