comic

adjective com·ic \ ˈkä-mik \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of comic

1 : of, relating to, or marked by comedy

a comic actor

2 : causing laughter or amusement : funny

a comic monologue

3 : of or relating to comic strips

the newspaper's comic section

See comic defined for English-language learners

See comic defined for kids

Examples of comic in a Sentence

The drama has some comic moments.
His comic timing is impeccable.
The scene was included for comic effect.

Recent Examples of comic from the Web

Samsock makes a strong and anchoring Ruth; her comic incredulity (when Charles tries to convince her Elvira is present) is particularly engaging.

— patti restivo, Howard County Times, "Spirited comedy, courtesy of APL scientists," 19 Apr. 2018
The duckling, Renee Bennett, is played by Amy Schumer, who knows how to sell a comic notion and commits to selling this one, come what may.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘I Feel Pretty’ Review: More Alarming Than Charming," 19 Apr. 2018
The Borgata’s smaller Music Box has R&B singer Ledisi on June 2 and Saturday Night Live comic Michael Che on June 29.

— dan deluca, Philly.com, "Blake Shelton, Amy Schumer in Hard Rock Casino's festival lineup in Atlantic City," 18 Apr. 2018
Erlbach delights in packing in references to other, earlier comic writers and actors—Danny Kaye, Abbott and Costello, Peter Sellers, even Dr. Seuss.

— jack helbig, Chicago Reader, "Steppenwolf’s Doppelgänger doesn’t take its farce seriously enough," 18 Apr. 2018
The comic ultimately settled Constand's lawsuit for nearly $3.4 million.

— samuel chamberlain, Fox News, "Jurors hear from lurid 2005 Cosby deposition in sex assault retrial," 17 Apr. 2018
But uneasy as its premise may be, the play’s comic antics are frequently on the mark.

— david coddon, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'How the Other Half Loves' ingenious and fab at North Coast Rep," 15 Apr. 2018
With a subtle comic touch, Insecure has tackled such thorny issues as workplace discrimination, the clumsiness of well-meaning whites, gentrification, and gender and class identity.

— julia ioffe, The Atlantic, "Issa Rae: ‘I Never Identified as a Nerd’," 12 Apr. 2018
Each gets some decent moments, though the comic standout of the bunch is Viswanathan.

— jake coyle, kansascity, "The parents go wild in gleefully crude ‘Blockers’ | The Kansas City Star," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of comic

Latin comicus, from Greek kōmikos, from kōmos revel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1567

See Words from the same year

comic Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of comic

laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, comic, comical mean provoking laughter or mirth. laughable applies to anything occasioning laughter.

- laughable attempts at skating

ludicrous suggests absurdity that excites both laughter and scorn.

- a thriller with a ludicrous plot

ridiculous suggests extreme absurdity, foolishness, or contemptibility.

- a ridiculous display of anger

comic applies especially to what arouses thoughtful amusement.

- a comic character

comical applies to what arouses spontaneous hilarity.

- a comical hat

comic

noun

Definition of comic

1 : comedian

a stand-up comic

2 : the comic element

3 a : comic strip

b : comic book

c comics plural : the part of a newspaper devoted to comic strips

See comic defined for English-language learners

Examples of comic in a Sentence

posted an especially funny comic by the watercooler
a celebrated humorist who, without fail, could find the comic in even the most mundane of situations

Recent Examples of comic from the Web

But in the comics, Rick doesn’t manage to slay his foe.

— laura bradley, HWD, "The Subtle Clues Hidden in The Walking Dead’s Explosive Premiere," 22 Oct. 2017
As Digital Spy reported, in the Archie comics, Veronica's father hates Archie.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Riverdale Season 2: Everything We Know," 1 Sep. 2017
The most obvious question concerns the leisurely pace, though many changes of pace and comic interludes shake up the narrative structure.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "Close Reunions of the Best Kind," 31 Aug. 2017
Iron Fist debuted in the comics in 1974, when Marvel sought to harness that era’s enthusiasm for martial-arts movies.

— jonathan l. fischer, Slate Magazine, "Netflix’s Iron Fist has about as little self-awareness as its white, male, billionaire protagonist.," 20 Mar. 2017
Snoopy's original name was going to be Sniffy but that was already used in another comic.

— micaela english, Town & Country, "18 Things You Didn't Know About Charles Schulz's Peanuts," 26 Oct. 2015
These comic takes laugh off U.S. soccer sadness This soccer match was so boring, fans started throwing paper airplanes into the goals Parents can’t say a word on the sidelines at these youth soccer games.

— eric zarate and brian gosset, star-telegram, "World Cup soccer 2018 elimination U.S. Men's National Team reaction | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 11 Oct. 2017
Every late-night comic on the air Monday got serious.

— story hinckley, The Christian Science Monitor, "Jimmy Kimmel's empathy touches a chord with late night viewers," 6 Oct. 2017
As Wizard’s annual spring comic convention has grown over the years and smaller cons have begun filling in the geeky event calendar, the folks at ReedPOP will hold their first Keystone Comic Con next year.

— howard gensler, Philly.com, "NY Comic Con organizers to launch Philly show in 2018," 3 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of comic

1687

comic Synonyms

Synonyms

comedy, comicality, drollery, drollness, funniness, hilariousness, humor, humorousness, richness, uproariousness;

Antonyms

pathos;

Near Antonyms

agony, anguish, dolor, grief, heartache, heartbreak, misery, sorrow, torment, torture, tribulation, woe;

gravity, seriousness, soberness, solemnity, solemnness, somberness;

Related Words

amusement, enjoyment, fun, pleasure;

absurdity, irony, laughableness, ludicrousness, ridiculousness;

whimsicality, wittiness, wryness;

burlesque, caricature, farce, jest, lampoon, parody, satire, slapstick, spoof, takeoff;

jocularity, jokiness, playfulness, waggishness;

COMIC Defined for English Language Learners

comic

adjective

Definition of comic for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a comedy
: causing laughter or amusement

comic

noun

Definition of comic for English Language Learners

: a person who performs in front of an audience and makes people laugh by telling jokes or funny stories or by acting in a funny way
the comics : the comic strips in a newspaper : the part of a newspaper that has comic strips