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

O’Neill is a gifted physical comedian, in any case, and the pratfalls begin right early. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

The comedian, who also hosts a podcast with Overcompensating co-star and longtime friend Mary Beth Barone, spent years posting sketches to his Instagram account and then developing the series with A24 and Amazon Studios. — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026

This made her one of the few comedians to receive back-to-back noms. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026

The most an average comedian or host can hope for is not to embarrass themselves trying, which is largely how Kareem Rahma fared in a recent episode of his popular social-media series, SubwayTakes. — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 21 Oct. 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