comedy of manners

noun phrase

: comedy that satirically portrays the manners and fashions of a particular class or set

Examples of comedy of manners in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Lots more followed in the novel after that, The Spell (1998), a stylish but ultimately failed attempt at a comedy of manners about four men who mostly just drink too much, do some drugs, and tumble into bed with one another. Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024 So far, the pitch-black comedy of manners, starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis, has grossed $28 million in North America and $57.7 million worldwide. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 29 Sep. 2024 Social classes and generations clash in this black comedy of manners set in the stunning English countryside, where the responsibility of conserving the family legacy is not for the faint-hearted. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 July 2024 The squirmy comedy of manners introduced May’s discovery, Charles Grodin, to the world. Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024 The movie is good fun and also surprisingly obvious — a slapstick comedy of manners that hints, but only hints, at darker human urges. Ty Burr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024 Here, all of the horror tropes are reconstituted as a comedy of manners. Amanda Hess, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Reid employs her signature sharp eye and sardonic wit to spear academia in Come and Get It, a biting comedy of manners. Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2023 In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life 11. Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 9 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comedy of manners.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of comedy of manners was in 1822

Dictionary Entries Near comedy of manners

Cite this Entry

“Comedy of manners.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comedy%20of%20manners. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on comedy of manners

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!