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 of soap opera

• sludge
• corn

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

Catherine O'Hara, who died suddenly in January, played matriarch Moira Rose, a flamboyant former soap opera star. —Anthony Mason, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026

The character is a soap opera director in Tommy’s The Trip. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026

Trevor Eyster as Sponge Harris Trevor Eyster started acting at 9 years old, getting his start on the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1987. —Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026

Prince Harry and Meghan and the Royal Rift The day will, of course, be about Phillips and Sperling and their union but needless to say many a royal wedding has been overshadowed by family drama in the past and there is the potential for this one to contain some elements of the royal soap opera. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

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