comic
Americanadjective
noun
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a comedian.
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comics, comic strips.
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the comic, the element or quality of comedy in literature, art, drama, etc..
An appreciation of the comic came naturally to her.
adjective
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of, relating to, characterized by, or characteristic of comedy
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(prenominal) acting in, writing, or composing comedy
a comic writer
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humorous; funny
noun
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a person who is comic, esp a comic actor; comedian
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a book or magazine containing comic strips
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(usually plural) comic strips in newspapers, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of comic
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cōmicus < Greek kōmikós, equivalent to kôm ( os ) a revel + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Comic things have something to do with silliness, like the comic section in the newspaper or a comic scene in your favorite funny movie. Someone who tells jokes professionally is also a comic. If you want to be a comic, you're going to need to come up with a lot of comic material, jokes and stories that make people laugh. If standing up in front of a crowd isn't your thing, but you still want to tell funny tales, you might try drawing a comic strip instead! Comic goes back to the Greek kōmōidia, "amusing spectacle," and its roots, meaning "merrymaking" and "singer or poet."
Vocabulary lists containing comic
List 1
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Week 1 Spelling
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Funny
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But I bet anything Trump idolizes Grant more for his charisma, presence, and comic timing in comedies like Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, and The Philadelphia Story.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Mr. Romm emphasizes this through close juxtapositions: From Diphilus, a fourth-century comic writer, we learn that “time is a strange craftsman; it refashions all of us but makes us always worse.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
She recalled crucial career and financial advice Allen gave her after she first appeared as a young comic on “Comics Unleashed.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
It sounds like a crackpot invention advertised on the back of an old comic book: DIY solar panels you plug into a standard wall outlet to pump electricity into your home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The three of them were still hanging out near the comic rack when they heard a commotion from the back of the store.
From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
