comedian

noun

co·​me·​di·​an kə-ˈmē-dē-ən 

1

archaic

a

: a writer of comedies

b

: an actor who plays comic roles

2

: a comical individual

specifically : a professional entertainer who uses any of various physical or verbal means to be amusing

Synonyms of comedian

• comic
• entertainer
• joker
• humorist
• wit
• funnyman
• clown

Examples of comedian in a Sentence

You'll like my friend. He's a real comedian.

struggled to eke out a living as a comedian in nightclubs

Recent Examples on the Web

Longtime political comedian Bill Maher was the guest of honor as this year’s winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and, as such, got praised and roasted by his famous friends. — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 29 June 2026

For years, Ariel Pastore-Sebring, a thirty-one-year-old recipe developer and comedian in Portland, Oregon, has been keeping notes for a potential cookbook. — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

In March, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that the comedian would receive the award after The Atlantic reported the news of his selection. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 29 June 2026

What began as a joke about turning the once-awkward sidekick into a digital-age Dick Cavett has since become one of the internet’s more rarefied interview rooms, drawing comedians, rappers, and politicians into Friedland’s orbit. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for comedian

• paramedian
• submedian

Kids Definition

comedian

noun

co·​me·​di·​an kə-ˈmēd-ē-ən 

1

: an actor who plays in comedy

2

: a comical individual

especially : a humorous professional entertainer