noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɒmədi/
British, Southern, Standard:/ˈkɔmədɪj/
General-American:/ˈkɑmədi/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Scotland:/ˈkɔməde/
Scotland:/-dɪ/
Scotland:/-di/
South-Asia:/ˈkɔm(ə)ɖi/
homophone: comity (t-flapping)
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 M AH0 D IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
a choric song of celebration or revel, especially in Ancient Greece
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
A Midsummer Night's Dream is among Shakespeare's most famous comedies.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a narrative poem with an agreeable ending (e.g., The Divine Comedy)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Europe, Medieval, countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
Why would you be watching comedy when there are kids starving right now?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
the art of composing comedy
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
a humorous event
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
a comic incident or series of incidents
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: drollery, clowning, funniness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fun, play, sport
10
noun
Meaning 10
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: tragedy
Broader terms: drama
Narrower terms: black comedy, commedia dell'arte, dark comedy, farce, farce comedy, travesty, high comedy, low comedy, melodrama, seriocomedy, tragicomedy, situation comedy, sitcom, slapstick
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek κῶμος (kômos) Proto-Hellenic *awéidō Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Proto-Hellenic *awoidā́ Ancient Greek ᾰ̓οιδή (ăoidḗ) Ancient Greek ᾠδή (ōidḗ) Ancient Greek κῶμος (kômos) Proto-Hellenic *awoidós Ancient Greek ἀοιδός (aoidós) Ancient Greek κωμῳδῐ́ᾱ (kōmōidĭ́ā)bor. Latin cōmoediader. Middle French comediebor. Middle English comedie English comedy 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.
Across languages
Translations
134 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
comèdia
— a choric song of celebration or revel
French:
comédie
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Galician:
comedia
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Latvian:
komēdija
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Polish:
komedia
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Portuguese:
comédia
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Romanian:
comedie
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Russian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Serbo-Croatian:
ко̀ме̄дија
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Serbo-Croatian:
kòmēdija
— a choric song of celebration or revel
Bulgarian:
комедия
(komedija)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Dutch:
blijspel
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Galician:
comedia
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Ancient Greek:
κωμῳδία
(kōmōidía)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Hebrew:
קומדיה
(qomedia)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Irish:
coiméide
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Latin:
comoedia
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Malayalam:
തമാശ
(tamāśa)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Polish:
komedia
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Portuguese:
comédia
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Russian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Serbo-Croatian:
ко̀ме̄дија
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Serbo-Croatian:
kòmēdija
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Tamil:
காமெடி
(kāmeṭi)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Ukrainian:
коме́дія
(komédija)
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Welsh:
comedi
— a light, amusing play with a happy ending
Galician:
comedia
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Hindi:
सुखांत
(sukhānt)
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Polish:
komedia
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Portuguese:
comédia
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Russian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Serbo-Croatian:
ко̀ме̄дија
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Serbo-Croatian:
kòmēdija
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Welsh:
comedi
— (medieval Europe) a narrative poem with an agreeable ending
Arabic:
فُكَاهَة
(fukāha)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Arabic:
كُومِيدِيَا
(kōmīdiyā)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Arabic:
كُومِيدِيَا
(kōmēdiyā)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Armenian:
կատակերգություն
(katakergutʻyun)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Azerbaijani:
komediya
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Azerbaijani:
gülməli əsər
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Azerbaijani:
məzhəkə
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Belarusian:
каме́дыя
(kamjédyja)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Bulgarian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Catalan:
comèdia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Chinese Mandarin:
喜劇 /喜剧
(xǐjù)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Crimean Tatar:
komediya
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Crimean Tatar:
mudhike
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Czech:
komedie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Czech:
veselohra
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Danish:
komedie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Dutch:
komedie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Dutch:
blijspel
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Esperanto:
komedio
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Estonian:
komöödia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Finnish:
komedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
French:
comédie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Gagauz:
komediya
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Gagauz:
güldürü
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Galician:
comedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Georgian:
კომედია
(ḳomedia)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
German:
Komödie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Greek:
κωμωδία
(komodía)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ancient Greek:
κωμῳδία
(kōmōidía)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Hebrew:
קומדיה
(qomedia)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Hungarian:
vígjáték
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Hungarian:
komédia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Icelandic:
gamanleikrit
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ido:
komedio
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Indonesian:
lawak
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Indonesian:
humor
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Irish:
coiméide
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Italian:
commedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Japanese:
喜劇
(kigeki)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Japanese:
コメディ
(komedi)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Kashubian:
kòmédiô
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Kazakh:
комедия
(komediä)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Korean:
희극
(huigeuk)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Korean:
코미디
(komidi)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Korean:
코믹
(komik)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Kyrgyz:
комедия
(komediya)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Latin:
cōmoedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Latvian:
komēdija
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Lithuanian:
komedija
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Lithuanian:
juokažaislė
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Malayalam:
തമാശ
(tamāśa)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Norwegian Bokmål:
komedie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Norwegian Nynorsk:
komedie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Occitan:
comedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ossetian:
комеди
(komedi)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Persian:
کمدی
(komedi)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Polish:
komedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Portuguese:
comédia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Romanian:
comedie
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Russian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Serbo-Croatian:
ко̀ме̄дија
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Serbo-Croatian:
kòmēdija
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Spanish:
comedia
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Sundanese:
bodor
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Swedish:
komedi
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Tagalog:
katawanan
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Tajik:
мазҳака
(mazhaka)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Tamil:
காமெடி
(kāmeṭi)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Tatar:
комедия
(qömediyä)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Turkish:
komedi
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ottoman Turkish:
تقلید اویونی
(täqlid oyunu)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ottoman Turkish:
تقلید اوینی
(täqlid oyunu)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ottoman Turkish:
مضحكه
(muđhike)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Ukrainian:
коме́дія
(komédija)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Vietnamese:
hài kịch
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Volapük:
fredadramat
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Welsh:
comedi
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Yiddish:
קאָמעדיע
(komedye)
— dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
Arabic:
كُومِيدِيَا
(kōmīdiyā)
— the genre of such works
Arabic:
كُومِيدِيَا
(kōmēdiyā)
— the genre of such works
Armenian:
կատակերգություն
(katakergutʻyun)
— the genre of such works
Bulgarian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— the genre of such works
Catalan:
comèdia
— the genre of such works
Finnish:
komiikka
— the genre of such works
Galician:
comedia
— the genre of such works
Hebrew:
קומדיה
(qomedia)
— the genre of such works
Icelandic:
kómedía
— the genre of such works
Icelandic:
gamanleikur
— the genre of such works
Indonesian:
komedi
— the genre of such works
Irish:
coiméide
— the genre of such works
Malayalam:
തമാശ
(tamāśa)
— the genre of such works
Persian:
کمدی
(komedi)
— the genre of such works
Portuguese:
comédia
— the genre of such works
Russian:
коме́дия
(komédija)
— the genre of such works
Serbo-Croatian:
ко̀ме̄дија
— the genre of such works
Serbo-Croatian:
kòmēdija
— the genre of such works
