comedy

comedy — noun

1. a film, play, television programme, or book created to make people laugh through

1.nounB1
Definition

a film, play, television programme, or book created to make people laugh through its characters, dialogue, or events.

Example

My favourite comedy of all time is a French film about a clumsy postman.

countable: a specific work of comedy

The theatre group put on a classic comedy that had everyone in tears from laughing.

collocation: put on a comedy

Common collocations
  • comedy film
  • comedy show
  • comedy series
  • comedy novel
  • romantic comedy
  • black comedy
  • comedy writer
  • perform a comedy
  • write a comedy
  • classic comedy
Synonyms
  • comic film

    emphasises the genre category rather than the work itself

  • farce

    a more physical, exaggerated type of comedy with unlikely situations

  • sitcom

    specifically a television comedy series with recurring characters

  • romantic comedy

    a comedy with a love story as the main plot

Antonyms
  • tragedy

    a serious drama dealing with sad or terrible events

Grammar Patterns

comedy + about [topic]

comedy + noun (modifier)

Usage Note

Can be countable when referring to one specific work ('a comedy'). Also used as a modifier before another noun: comedy film, comedy series, comedy writer.

Common Mistakes

I watched a comedy movie last night.
I watched a comedy last night.
'comedy' already names the type of film; adding 'movie' is redundant.

2. the amusing quality that people can recognise in an ordinary, awkward, or unfort

2.nounB2
Definition

the amusing quality that people can recognise in an ordinary, awkward, or unfortunate event, allowing them to see the lighter side of it.

Example

There is a certain comedy in watching a cat try to catch its own tail.

uncountable: the comic element of a situation

Ravi could see the comedy of the situation when both his phones rang at once.

collocation: the comedy of the situation

Common collocations
  • comedy of the situation
  • see the comedy in
  • find comedy in
  • the comedy of errors
  • the comedy of [event]
Synonyms
  • humour

    a broader term for anything that makes people laugh

  • amusement

    focuses on the feeling of enjoyment rather than the funny quality itself

  • farcical element

    suggests the situation is ridiculously unlikely or over-the-top

Grammar Patterns

find + comedy + in

the comedy of [noun]

Usage Note

Always uncountable in this sense — do not use 'a comedy' when referring to the humorous aspect of a situation. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'the comedy of [something]'.

Common Mistakes

There was a comedy in the way he tripped over his own feet.
There was comedy in the way he tripped over his own feet.
'comedy' meaning the amusing quality is uncountable and cannot take 'a'.

3. a genre of humorous drama or fiction that gently mocks the social customs and ac

3.nounC1
Definition

a genre of humorous drama or fiction that gently mocks the social customs and accepted ways of acting within a specific group, especially the upper classes.

Example

The play is a comedy of manners that makes fun of upper-class dinner parties.

collocation: comedy of manners + makes fun of [group]

Oscar Wilde's comedy of manners remains popular because its humour still feels fresh today.

proper noun + comedy of manners

Common collocations
  • comedy of manners
  • Restoration comedy
  • social comedy
  • satirical comedy
Synonyms
  • satire

    a broader term for any work that uses humour to criticise people or society

  • social comedy

    a slightly wider category that may not focus on manners specifically

Grammar Patterns

comedy of manners + verb

Usage Note

Typically appears in the fixed phrase 'comedy of manners'. Often preceded by an era or style label: Restoration comedy of manners, modern comedy of manners.

Word family

  • comic
    adjectiveB1
  • comedian
    nounB1
  • comical
    adjectiveB2
  • comedic
    adjectiveC1
  • comedienne
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe works meant to entertain through humour, but they differ in form and target. Comedy is the broadest term, covering any amusing film, play, TV show, or book. Farce is a narrower type of comedy that relies on exaggerated, unlikely situations and physical humour — think of characters running in and out of doors. Satire uses humour to criticise or mock people, institutions, or society; it can be very sharp and is not always laugh-out-loud funny. A sitcom (short for 'situation comedy') is a television series with the same characters each week, whose humour comes from their everyday problems and relationships. For example: The film is a comedy about a wedding (general). It turns into a farce when both brides wear the same dress (exaggerated). The real satire lies in how it mocks the wedding industry (critical humour). The spin-off sitcom follows the couple after they marry (TV series format).

comedy ↗farcesatiresitcom ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • comedy genre
  • comedy industry
  • comedy audience

Phrases

  • comedy of errors

Prepositions

  • comedy about

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'comedy' entered English through French 'comédie', from Latin 'comoedia', and ultimately from Greek 'komoidia'. The Greek term combines 'komos' (meaning a revel or merry festival procession) with 'aeidein' (meaning to sing). In ancient Greece, a komoidia was a lively performance with singing, dancing, and mockery of public figures. The modern sense of a funny theatrical work or film developed gradually through the Renaissance and into the twentieth century.