slapstick
noun
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The idea that knocking people about made for good comedy dates as far back as the Greco-Roman theater, where clowns rambunctiously "attacked" one another onstage. The object from which the word slapstick derives, however, was invented in Italy in the 16th century. Renaissance comedy typically featured stock characters placed in ridiculous situations, and one such ubiquitous character was Harlequin, whose brilliant costuming made him easily recognizable. Harlequin was given to wielding a paddle which was designed to make a terrible noise when he hit someone, usually to the delight of the audience. This paddle was eventually known in English as a "slapstick," and it became a symbol of that type of highly physical comedy. The word slapstick then came to refer to the comedy itself.
Examples of slapstick in a Sentence
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 15 May 2025
Jam-packed with his absurd self-aware humor, the finale deviates from the show’s usual slapstick raunch with a rare tender moment between Jesse and his equally crude siblings, Judy (Edi Patterson) and Kelvin (Adam DeVine).
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 May 2025
In commercial comedies nowadays, humor mostly happens through dialog or slapstick or exaggerations.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2025
Night Court captured audiences through the '80s with slapstick comedy and slow-burn romances — many of which were left unresolved when the show concluded in 1992.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Cite this Entry
“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slapstick. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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