comedy
UK /ˈkɒmədi/ · US /ˈkɑmədi/ noun
Forms comedies comedie comœdie comœdy
- noun (countable, historical) a choric song of celebration or revel, especially in Ancient Greece
- noun (countable) a light, amusing play with a happy ending “A Midsummer Night's Dream is among Shakespeare's most famous comedies.”
- noun (countable, Medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending (e.g., The Divine Comedy)
- noun (countable, drama) a dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
- noun (drama) the genre of such works
- noun (uncountable) entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance “Why would you be watching comedy when there are kids starving right now?”
- noun the art of composing comedy
- noun (countable) a humorous event
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English comedie, borrowed from Middle French comedie, from Latin cōmoedia, borrowed from Ancient Greek κωμῳδῐ́ᾱ (kōmōidĭ́ā), from κῶμος (kômos, “revel, carousing”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”), or from κῶμος (kômos, “revel, carousing”) + ἀοιδός (aoidós, “singer, bard”). Doublet of commedia.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A dramatic composition, or representation of a bright and amusing character, based upon the foibles of individuals, the manners of society, or the ludicrous events or accidents of life; a play in which mirth predominates and the termination of the plot is happy; --opposed to tragedy.
Etymology [F. comédie, L. comoedia, fr. Gr. home) + Home, and Ode.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “comedy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details