as in entertainers
a person (as a writer) noted for or specializing in humor
struggled to eke out a living as a comedian in nightclubs
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Recent Examples of comedians
But those three comedians sound practically like Rakim or Eminem next to the vast majority of 1980s Chicago Bears players, who were also forced to do a line dance.
—
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
The no-frills series put singers, comedians, dancers and other performers head-to-head and helped launch future stars like Britney Spears long before viral auditions and fan voting.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026
Founded in 1999 by Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a production hub and management company representing more than 200 directors, writers, actors and comedians.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
And then there are the people that became comedians because of Mel — Ben Stiller, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
The show debuted in December at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre with a rotating cast of comedians, including Gardner, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Cecily Strong and Ray Romano.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
Genesis, a live event where influencers, celebrities, YouTube stars and comedians compete in boxing matches.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
In the live shows, Davies and Horne have answered fan questions and then invited three members of the audience to the stage to participate alongside guest comedians.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Though comedians develop their sense over time by experiencing the audience react.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
The no-frills series put singers, comedians, dancers and other performers head-to-head and helped launch future stars like Britney Spears long before viral auditions and fan voting.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026
Founded in 1999 by Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a production hub and management company representing more than 200 directors, writers, actors and comedians.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
And then there are the people that became comedians because of Mel — Ben Stiller, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
The show debuted in December at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre with a rotating cast of comedians, including Gardner, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Cecily Strong and Ray Romano.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
Genesis, a live event where influencers, celebrities, YouTube stars and comedians compete in boxing matches.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
In the live shows, Davies and Horne have answered fan questions and then invited three members of the audience to the stage to participate alongside guest comedians.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Though comedians develop their sense over time by experiencing the audience react.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comedians
Noun
-
Scared out of their wits, Islanders fled.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Conversations between Linda and Bradley play like a high-stakes battle of wits, but their director is never so far away as to make the match feel lawless.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
So Porter is now the guy the State Police have supposedly doing a deep dive on the clowns, grifters and assorted gender-bending jokers that Maura Healey hands six-figure hack sinecures to — judicial nominees, college presidents, the heads of the veterans’ homes, etc.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
29 Nov. 2025
-
These jokers in Indianapolis acting the fool.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The State Police magazine already has a crew of freelance humorists hard at work.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Critics are waxing nostalgic for the edgy and outrageous comments of social critic humorists such as Dick Gregory, Mort Sahl, George Carlin, and Don Imus, forgetting that none of those figures were ever the host of a broadcast network TV show.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The other funnymen of the time—Milton Berle with his lewd suggestiveness, Jackie Gleason with his baleful roar—did the same shtick over and over.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The participation of big-name funnymen, including Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart and Jimmy Carr, has provoked criticism from fellow comedians, including Marc Maron, Shane Gillis and Stavros Halkias, as well as human rights groups and other commentators.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some people might bring nice presents, while jokesters may put far less valuable gifts in their boxes.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Dec. 2025
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The Harvard jokesters’ ad noted that a $10 million reward is being offered for the return of the 13 missing masterpieces that were taken from the Boston museum 35 years ago.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Comedians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comedians. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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