comic

/ˈkɑmɪk/

/ˈkɒmɪk/

Other forms: comics

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."

Definitions of comic

1. adjective

   of or relating to or characteristic of comedy
   “comic hero”
2. adjective

   arousing or provoking laughter
   “a comic hat”

   synonyms: amusing, comical, funny, laughable, mirthful, risible

   comedic, humorous, humourous

   full of or characterized by humor
3. noun

   a professional performer who tells jokes and performs comical acts
   synonyms: comedian

   examples:

   Benjamin Kubelsky

   United States comedian known for his timeing and delivery and self-effacing humor (1894-1974)

   Nathan Birnbaum

   United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)

   Sidney Caesar

   United States comedian who pioneered comedy television shows (born 1922)

   Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin

   English comedian and film maker; portrayed a downtrodden little man in baggy pants and bowler hat (1889-1977)

   Jimmy Durante

   United States comedian remembered for his large nose and hoarse voice (1893-1980)

   William Claude Dukenfield

   United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

   Oliver Hardy

   United States slapstick comedian who played the pompous and overbearing member of the Laurel and Hardy duo who made many films (1892-1957)

   Alfred Hawthorne

   risque English comedian (1925-1992)

   Leslie Townes Hope

   United States comedian (born in England) who appeared in films with Bing Crosby (1903-2003)

   Joseph Francis Keaton

   United States comedian and actor in silent films noted for his acrobatic skills and deadpan face (1895-1966)

   Sir Harry MacLennan Lauder

   Scottish ballad singer and music hall comedian (1870-1950)

   Arthur Stanley Jefferson Laurel

   United States slapstick comedian (born in England) who played the scatterbrained and often tearful member of the Laurel and Hardy duo who made many films (1890-1965)

   Steve Martin

   United States actor and comedian (born in 1945)

   Julius Marx

   United States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1890-1977)

   Leonard Marx

   United States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1891-1961)

   Arthur Marx

   United States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1893-1964)

   Herbert Marx

   United States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1901-1979)

   Dudley Stuart John Moore

   English actor and comedian who appeared on television and in films (born in 1935)

   types:

   buffoon, clown, goof, goofball, merry andrew

   a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior

   comedienne

   a female comedian

   gagman, standup comedian

   a comedian who uses gags

   joker, jokester

   a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes

   top banana

   the leading comedian in a burlesque show

   harlequin

   a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte)

   fool, jester, motley fool

   a professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages

   whiteface

   a clown whose face is covered with white make-up

   zany

   a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect

   type of:

   performer, performing artist

   an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience