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

In a 20-year-old Michigan Court of Appeals case involving a custody order on Sue’s son, the court had called her a con artist, scam artist and psychopathic liar and said that her life resembled a soap opera. —Virginia Hammerle, Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026

The first studies on parasocial relationships, in the Eighties, were about soap opera stars and newscasters, since that was who people used to feel familiar with on a daily basis. —Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026

Before joining Blue Bloods in season 4, Vanessa Ray was known for playing Teri Ciccone on the soap opera As the World Turns, Jenny Griffith on Suits, and Charlotte Drake on Pretty Little Liars. —Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026

Those who enjoy their politics cut with a dash of soap opera will just have to wait. —Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 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