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

And the sweetness of the lyrics doesn’t even interrupt the soap opera. —Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025

The 41-year-old actress, who celebrated 20 years of playing Maxie Jones on the long-running soap opera earlier this year, opened up about her departure from the show in an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, July 8. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 9 July 2025

The journeys of classic comic-book superheroes were serial soap operas, more complex and interior than that of most comic-book-movie heroes. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 July 2025

This period soap opera tells of fictional and real-life characters from this era of tremendous wealth accumulation and rapid industrial growth. —Michele Herrmann, Forbes.com, 15 June 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