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

This year, ByteDance’s Doubao platform, a gala sponsor, sent out waves of hongbao or red envelopes with virtual cash to users of its AI chatbot app throughout the show, while a comedian at one point asked the app for advice. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026

The teacher basically just gave us tips from [Eighties stand-up comedian] Judy Carter’s comedy bible. —Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2026

The comedian went ahead and interviewed Talarico, but the segment was released on YouTube instead of airing on CBS. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026

An actor, writer, and comedian, Schutte stars alongside Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, and Carlos-Manuel Vesga in Pluribus, which premiered to a lot of buzz in November and has been renewed for a second season. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for comedian

• submedian
• paramedian

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