comic

1 of 2

adjective

com·​ic ˈkä-mik How to pronounce comic (audio)
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

comic

2 of 2

noun

1
: comedian
a stand-up comic
2
: the comic element
3
c
comics plural : the part of a newspaper devoted to comic strips
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of comic in a Sentence

Adjective The drama has some comic moments. His comic timing is impeccable. The scene was included for comic effect. Noun 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 on the Web
Adjective
The duo previously teamed for West of Sundown, a Western vampire comic from Vault. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Sep. 2023 Moore acknowledged his own efforts his own comic work may be partly to blame. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 14 Sep. 2023 Olivia Colman is the religious, upstanding neighbor Edith—in perfect comic mode—and Jessie Buckley is the foul-mouthed Irish single mother, Rose, upon whom suspicion falls. Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2023 Latinx and Latin American comic vendors and illustrators gathered at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach for the 11th annual Latino Comics Expo this past weekend. Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023 Those who have witnessed his comic timing or listened to him speak Spanish or French might disagree, but Votto views those things as outlets, not skills. Zach Buchanan, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023 But for fans of Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic operettas and the larger-than-life theatrical characters found in the farces of Noël Coward, Ken Ludwig and even the Marx Brothers, there are deeper layers to explore and enjoy. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2023 Batman Day is coming up and fans will celebrate with exclusive comic availability, movie marathons and special episodes. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2023 More of our coverage: ‘The Daily Show’ takes a comic look at Eastern Oregonians who want to be part of Idaho — Kristi Turnquist Our journalism needs your support. Kturnqui, oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2023
Noun
The creative team is leaning into their ’80s memories to create the comic and are hoping that translates to the page. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Sep. 2023 Every major comic was asked, Suh admitted in a Q&A after the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival Sunday night. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2023 The comic shared a photo of red, painful-looking welts on her face from a wasp that attacked her in her bedroom Chelsea Handler’s summer ended on a painful note, as the comic shared that she was bitten by a wasp — on her face. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023 The mute comic, who uses the text-to-speech function on his phone to deliver his stand-up routine, earned kudos from Klum. USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023 Though naturally, there’s always hope the comic could be optioned in the future. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Aug. 2023 The film references the comic again in the scene where Barry straps himself to a chair and purposefully tries to recreate the experiment that gave him his powers, which initially results in terrible lightning and chemical burns. Richard Newby, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023 He’s also set to voice Garfield in the 2024 film adaptation of the classic comic. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 22 Aug. 2023 In 1966, the main character for the comic became Ted Kord (created by Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man), whose presence casts a shadow throughout the Blue Beetle film. Time, 18 Aug. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin comicus, from Greek kōmikos, from kōmos revel

First Known Use

Adjective

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1687, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of comic was in 1567

Dictionary Entries Near comic

Cite this Entry

“Comic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comic. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

comic

1 of 2 adjective
com·​ic ˈkäm-ik How to pronounce comic (audio)
1
: of or relating to comedy
a comic actor
2
: causing laughter or amusement : funny
3
: of or relating to comic strips

comic

2 of 2 noun
1
2
b
plural : the part of a newspaper devoted to comic strips

More from Merriam-Webster on comic

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