: opera of a humorous character with a happy ending and usually some spoken dialogue
Examples of comic-opera in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Nov. 2024
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 25 June 2025
The novel and the musical both have roots in popular 19th-century entertainment—vaudevilles, comic operas, and newspaper serials.
—Graham Robb, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for comic-opera
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
And it can be presented as a kind of comic-opera affair.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Nov. 2024
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Noun
In a moment straight out of comic opera, National Security Council aides brought a goodwill chocolate cake to Tehran during a secret diplomatic mission in May 1986.
—Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 25 June 2025
The novel and the musical both have roots in popular 19th-century entertainment—vaudevilles, comic operas, and newspaper serials.
—Graham Robb, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for comic-opera
Cite this Entry
“Comic-opera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comic-opera. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share