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 livesJoseph Wambaugh
also : something (such as a novel) having such qualities
soap-operatic adjective

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
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Roberts also directed a play Betts wrote, Screen Test: Take One, about a soap opera that originated on a film set. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025 But the road to telling that story began with a restless boy in a quiet town, one who found escape not on the water, but in the light of screens both big and small, captivated by Steven Spielberg’s work and the classic soap opera Guiding Light. Jp Mangalindan, Time, 19 June 2025 Speaking to Soap Opera Digest in an article published June 16, Nichols, 74, reflected on his tenure on the soap opera, which began when Steve was first introduced in 1985. Victoria Edel, People.com, 17 June 2025 From Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos eloping while starring on All My Children to Arianne Zucker and Shawn Christian's friends-to-lovers journey on Days of Our Lives, here are 15 of our favorite couples who met on the set of soap operas past and present. James Mercadante, EW.com, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for soap opera

Word History

Etymology

from its sponsorship by soap manufacturers

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of soap opera was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Soap opera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soap%20opera. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on soap opera

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