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

Those words carry weight for anyone who has ever felt the need to defend their taste in romantic comedies. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026

Hudson’s Take on What Went Wrong With Rom-Coms Hudson’s commentary on the romantic comedy genre goes beyond personal frustration. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026

The Emily in Paris star is set to portray screen icon Audrey Hepburn in a film telling the story behind the making of the 1961 romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany’s. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026

Published in 2020, Beach Read is a romantic comedy following January Andrews, a successful romance novelist who struggles with grief and writer’s block after her father’s death and the discovery of secrets he’s long kept hidden. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for romantic comedy

• tragicomedy