comedian
Other forms: comedians
A comedian tells jokes for a living. If you have the ability to crack everyone up at the dinner table, your mom might say that you should be a comedian.
Comedians perform in various ways: a stand-up comedian, for example, tells jokes on a stage at a comedy club. Other comedians might perform improvisational comedy routines in a group, or be featured in a funny movie. In the 16th century, a comedian was specifically a "comic poet," while later the words comedian and actor were briefly interchangeable. It comes from the Greek komoidia, "an amusing spectacle."
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a professional performer who tells jokes and performs comical actssynonyms: comicexamples:Benjamin KubelskyUnited States comedian known for his timeing and delivery and self-effacing humor (1894-1974)Nathan BirnbaumUnited States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)Sidney CaesarUnited States comedian who pioneered comedy television shows (born 1922)Sir Charles Spencer ChaplinEnglish comedian and film maker; portrayed a downtrodden little man in baggy pants and bowler hat (1889-1977)Jimmy DuranteUnited States comedian remembered for his large nose and hoarse voice (1893-1980)William Claude DukenfieldUnited States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)Oliver HardyUnited States slapstick comedian who played the pompous and overbearing member of the Laurel and Hardy duo who made many films (1892-1957)Alfred Hawthornerisque English comedian (1925-1992)Leslie Townes HopeUnited States comedian (born in England) who appeared in films with Bing Crosby (1903-2003)Joseph Francis KeatonUnited States comedian and actor in silent films noted for his acrobatic skills and deadpan face (1895-1966)Sir Harry MacLennan LauderScottish ballad singer and music hall comedian (1870-1950)Arthur Stanley Jefferson LaurelUnited 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 MartinUnited States actor and comedian (born in 1945)Julius MarxUnited States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1890-1977)Leonard MarxUnited States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1891-1961)Arthur MarxUnited States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1893-1964)Herbert MarxUnited States comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1901-1979)Dudley Stuart John MooreEnglish actor and comedian who appeared on television and in films (born in 1935)types:comediennea female comediantop bananathe leading comedian in a burlesque showharlequina clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte)fool, jester, motley foola professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ageswhitefacea clown whose face is covered with white make-upzanya buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effecttype of:
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an actor in a comedytypes:comediennea female actor in a comedytype of:
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Vocabulary lists containing comedian
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