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

The ceremony honors the best in daytime television — from talk shows like The View and The Drew Barrymore Show, to soap operas such as The Young and the Restless and General Hospital, to courtroom programs like Divorce Court and Judy Justice. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025

She was best known for playing the role of Lisa Grimaldi on As the World Turns, appearing on the soap opera from 1960 until the show ended in 2010. —Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

Attenborough’s victory comes just over a year after Van Dyke previously set the record in June 2024, when the actor — who was only 98 years old at the time — was awarded for his guest role on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2025

Heather Hill, the longtime Young and the Restless director who collected six Daytime Emmys for her work on the CBS soap opera, has died. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 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