soap opera

noun

1

a

: a serial drama performed originally on a daytime radio or television program and chiefly characterized by tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment

b

: a series of real-life events resembling a soap opera

2

: the melodrama and sentimentality characteristic of a soap opera

even cops need a little soap opera in their lives

—Joseph Wambaugh

also : something (such as a novel) having such qualities

soap-operatic

ˈsōp-ˌä-pə-ˈra-tik 

adjective

Synonyms

• corn
• sludge

Examples of soap opera in a Sentence

She loves to watch daytime soap operas.

the movie started out well, but quickly devolved into improbable soap opera

Recent Examples on the Web

After months of speculation, Entertainment Weekly can confirm that veteran soap star Greg Vaughan is joining the cast of CBS' beloved new soap opera Beyond the Gates. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025

The pair first crossed paths when they were both cast on an Australian soap opera, Home and Away. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

Crystalline skyscrapers and cowboy hats abound in the city known for cattle drives, cheerleaders, and oil family soap operas. —Nathanael Gassett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025

Like many disaster movies, this is a turgid soap opera that’s blown apart by chaos. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from its sponsorship by soap manufacturers

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

soap opera

noun

: a radio or television drama presented in a series of continuing stories and characters and intended to appeal to the emotions

Etymology

so called because the advertisers on these programs were usually soap manufacturers