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

The comedian was previously married to Duke for nearly 18 years. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

Is Stalter a serious musician, or a comedian dipping into a character for a gag? — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026

British comedian John Oliver has even weighed in on the kerfuffle. — Julie Carr Smyth, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026

The phone-comedy discussion followed a scene in which Julie Kessler and Billy Epstein, the proudly embittered struggling comedians played by Klausner and Eichner, confront an up-and-coming digital creator. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 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