romantic comedy

noun

plural romantic comedies
: a light, comic movie or other work whose plot focuses on the development of a romantic relationship
This brings us to romantic comedies. … They make money, spawn franchises, and are popular in books, movies, and on television. Sexual tension is fun to watch, and we like rooting for a will-they-won't-they couple.Elizabeth Logan
also : this style or genre of work
an actor with a talent for romantic comedy

called also rom-com

Examples of romantic comedy 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.
But while everybody wanted a piece of Netflix's electric romantic comedy starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell when its first season debuted to acclaim in 2024, Season 2 falls distinctly short. Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025 Nikki Glaser and Judd Apatow are reuniting with Universal Pictures for a new romantic comedy feature. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025 Rehmeier’s previous films include the punk rock romantic comedy Dinner In America, which also starred Gallner, and Snack Shack. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025 The project was greenlit during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a moment when movie musicals were considered risky, and romantic comedies had fallen out of favor. Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for romantic comedy

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of romantic comedy was in 1818

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Cite this Entry

“Romantic comedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/romantic%20comedy. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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