Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone and that usually contains a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.
- noun The genre made up of such works.
- noun A literary or cinematic work of a comic nature or that uses the themes or methods of comedy.
- noun Popular entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance.
- noun The art of composing or performing comedy.
- noun A humorous element of life or literature.
- noun A humorous occurrence.
- idiom (comedy of errors) A ludicrous event or sequence of events.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A narrative poem: applied to the Divina Commedia (‘Divine Comedy’) of Dante. See
Dante and Divina Commedia in the Cyclopedia of Names. - noun That branch of the drama which addresses itself primarily to the sense of the humorous or the ridiculous: opposed to tragedy, which appeals to the more serious and profound emotions. See
drama and tragedy. - noun In a restricted sense, a form of the drama which is humorous without being broadly or grossly comical: distinguished from
farce . - noun A dramatic composition written in the style of comedy; a comic play or drama.
- noun Hence A humorous or comic incident or series of incidents in real life.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- 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 .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun archaic Greece. a choric song of celebration or revel
- noun ancient Greece. a light, amusing play with a happy ending
- noun medieval Europe. a narrative poem with an agreeable ending (e.g., The Divine Comedy)
- noun drama A
dramatic work that islight andhumorous orsatirical intone - noun drama The
genre of such works - noun
entertainment composed ofjokes ,satire , or humorousperformance - noun the
art of composing comedy - noun a humorous
event
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a comic incident or series of incidents
- noun light and humorous drama with a happy ending
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Unfortunately, a crucial ingredient in comedy is timing.
Archive 2009-04-01 2009
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Unfortunately, a crucial ingredient in comedy is timing.
Tick 2009
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One of the most consistent and effective tools in comedy is something I call ‘The Garden Path Routine.’
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Some Suggestions for Humor-Writers 2009
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While other kids picked up electric guitars and sports equipment, I was feverishly collecting comedy albums and reading anything that had the word comedy in it.
Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons Greg Fitzsimmons 2010
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The term comedy however is not used in the modern sense which suggests to us a light laughable drama written in a familiar style.
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Madrid's expensively-assembled superstars put up a good fight, but Barca have drawn first blood in the title comedy and tragedy, so here are ten of the decade's most noteworthy events.
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When you're paying tribute to something like that, the comedy is already inherent in the material.
This Week in DVD & Blu-ray: Law Abiding Citizen, Black Dynamite, Cabin Fever 2, and More | /Film 2010
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Based on a short story by Irwin Shaw, this comedy is about a football player with hearing problems who receives experimental surgery and finds himself suddenly able to hear everyone talking from far distances.
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Do prepare yourself for the occasional cringe-worthy line of dialogue though, and like most PG-13 action films, the comedy is almost never funny.
G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra REVIEW « Giant Killer Squid - Film, Comics, News, Reviews and more 2009
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And the comedy is actually funny, particularly when Oda just lets loose with the deformed cartooning and amazing dumbness of Luffy.
Resetting sail 2010
carolinacc commented on the word comedy
Well, the telling of jokes is an art of its own, and it always rises from some emotional threat. The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some way truthful.
Kurt Vonnegut, Interview, Mcsweeneys.net
July 5, 2008