comic

adjective com·ic \ ˈkä-mik \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: comic in a Sentence

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

The series, based on some lesser (and problematic) comic-book characters, manages to be one of the best superhero shows around, after just four episodes.

— kelly lawler, USA TODAY, "11 Marvel TV shows, definitively ranked (including 'Cloak and Dagger')," 11 June 2018
His fourth title finally brought him level with his comic-book hero nemesis, Lionel Messi of Barcelona.

— joshua robinson, WSJ, "Zinedine Zidane Steps Down as Real Madrid Manager," 31 May 2018
Gyllenhaal gets to enter the comic-book realm it in his own karmic way.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Almost-Superhero Jake Gyllenhaal Is Reportedly Joining the Spider-Man Universe," 21 May 2018
While other comic-book superheroes can be brutal, even cruel, Superman is always calm and reasonable.

— michael sangiacomo, cleveland.com, "Superman at 80, still fighting for truth, justice and the American way," 15 Apr. 2018
In a statement to PEOPLE, Tom Lallas, a lawyer who prepared the document Lee signed, said the comic-book mogul was well aware of its contents.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Stan Lee Denies Claims His Daughter Is Trying to 'Gain Control' of His Assets," 10 Apr. 2018
The Black Panther, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, made his comic-book debut in 1966, in Fantastic Four No.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "'Black Panther' slashes its way to the fifth-biggest opening ever," 19 Feb. 2018
The comic series was translated into Japanese decades ago, becoming an instant hit.

— yuri kageyama, USA TODAY, "Snoopy joining Sony? Music unit buying stake in Peanuts Holdings from DHX Media," 14 May 2018
Khan, a Pakistani American teen from Jersey City, New Jersey, made her first appearance in Captain Marvel #14 in August 2013, before going on to star in her own solo comic series Ms. Marvel, which debuted in February 2014.

— refinery29.com, "Marvel’s Latest Announcement Is A Huge Win For Women Of Color," 13 May 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

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First Known Use: 1567

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Stand-up comics joke about dead strippers and dead hookers, the most disposable humans of all.

— sascha cohen, SELF, "I Felt Like I Deserved My Breast Cancer," 17 May 2018
O’Brien is planning a multi-city tour with these new comics later this year.

— kathleen joyce, Fox News, "Conan O'Brien's late-night show shortened to half-hour," 4 May 2018
What, precisely, the organization meant by this is unclear, since Wolf gave a performance that was very much in keeping with the tradition set by comics before her, at least tracing back to Stephen Colbert scorching George W. Bush in 2006.

— laura bradley, HWD, "It’s Political Media vs. Comedians as White House Press Association Disavows Michelle Wolf," 30 Apr. 2018
Noticeably missing from the backs of digital cards are the quirky comics that once highlighted fun facts about players on physical cards.

— marc myers, WSJ, "Baseball Cards Are Swinging for the Digital Age," 27 Apr. 2018
For the past 13 years, the 26-year-old from Hazel Dell has been a regular at anime and comics conventions throughout the Northwest.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "More than a costume: Portland cosplayers say suiting up is a labor of love," 10 Apr. 2018
There are American comics selling tickets around the world.

— chris varias, Cincinnati.com, "Bill Burr says internet killed music and saved comedy; then says a lot more," 4 Apr. 2018
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (HBO) Director Judd Apatow’s four-and-a-half-hour tribute to his late mentor includes interviews with comics like Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Silverman as well as footage from Shandling’s life.

— whitney friedlander, Esquire, "Spring 2018 TV Preview: Your Complete Guide to the Season's Premieres," 8 Mar. 2018
He-Man execs trying to sell what’s essentially marketing research by promising comics or TV on the spot; Barbie’s on-point leadership being ruthless and fast-tracking concepts to market to usurp things like Jem or Bratz; etc.—throughout the middle.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "The Toys That Made Us: To make a great toy documentary, embrace Jackie Chan," 11 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of comic

1687

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

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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