comedy

noun

com·​e·​dy ˈkä-mə-dē 

plural comedies

1

a

: a medieval narrative that ends happily

Dante's Divine Comedy

b

: a literary work written in a comic style or treating a comic theme

the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus

2

a

: a drama of light and amusing character and typically with a happy ending

a comedy about parenthood

b

: the genre of dramatic literature dealing with the comic or with the serious in a light or satirical manner compare tragedy

3

: a ludicrous or farcical event or series of events

a comedy of errors

4

a

: the comic element

the comedy of many life situations

b

: humorous entertainment

nightclub comedy

Synonyms of comedy

• humor
• satire

Examples of comedy in a Sentence

The new comedy is the network's most popular television show.

The movie includes a lot of physical comedy.

We couldn't help laughing out loud at the comedy of the situation.

Recent Examples on the Web

That uncertainty extends to the film itself, which slips between psychological drama, comedy and magical realism without settling comfortably into any of them. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

Moore and Minnelli returned for a 1988 sequel, while a 2011 remake starred Russell Brand, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig and Helen Mirren, but neither matched the success of the original, which was named one of AFI’s top 100 comedies. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026

Olivia Colman’s first standout work that moved her from sketch comedy to dramatic feature film was Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026

Among them are Hal & Harper, the Green Day comedy Nimrods, which comes out on August 14, 2026, and Sterling Point, a new Prime Video YA drama series that is climbing the charts. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin comoedia, from Latin, drama with a happy ending, from Greek kōmōidia, from kōmos revel + aeidein to sing — more at ode

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing comedy

• comedy drama
• comedy of errors
• comedy of manners
• cringe comedy
• high comedy
• low comedy
• musical comedy
• romantic comedy
• situation comedy

Rhymes for comedy

• psalmody
• tragicomedy

Kids Definition

comedy

noun

com·​e·​dy ˈkäm-əd-ē 

plural comedies

1

: a light amusing play with a happy ending

2

: a comic literary work

3

a

: an amusing or ridiculous event

b

: humorous entertainment