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operetta

noun

op·​er·​et·​ta ˌä-pə-ˈre-tə How to pronounce operetta (audio)
: a usually romantic comic opera that includes songs and dancing
operettist noun

Examples of operetta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Together, the four could send up almost anything: melodrama, tragedy, operetta, game show. David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025 This version of the operetta exchanges the show’s English seaside setting for New Orleans, and the music gets a refresh along with the backdrops. Brent Lang, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025 Holmes and Ellis interpolate a few songs from other Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, but most are rendered into duds and Pierce’s moments again prove the exception. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025 What remains at least semi-constant is the music, an alternately gliding and lurching melange of early 1980s soft-rock pop, and Lloyd Webber-ian operetta. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for operetta

Word History

Etymology

Italian, diminutive of opera

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of operetta was in 1770

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Operetta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/operetta. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

operetta

noun
op·​er·​et·​ta ˌäp-ə-ˈret-ə How to pronounce operetta (audio)
: a light play set to music with speaking, singing, and dancing scenes

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