I. ˈkämik, -mēk adjective
Etymology: Latin comicus, from Greek kōmikos, from kōmos festivity with music and dancing — more at comedy
1.
a. : dealing or dealt with in comedy as contrasted with tragedy
a standard comic theme
b. : composing or acting in comedies
a comic dramatist
c. : showing or conveying an attitude of thoughtful mirth or amused detached reflection rather than sorrow, pain, or resolution
he alone in the book has a remarkable comic sense. He can prick the bubble of any illusion — John Erskine †1951
2. : calling forth laughter by intentional wit, humor, or burlesque or by unintentional exaggeration or inappropriateness : comical
it would have been comic if she were making all this fuss for nothing — Joseph Conrad
3. : presenting a series of humorous incidents or dramatic adventures in a sequence of pictures usually accompanied by balloons giving conversation
the comic section of a newspaper
Synonyms: see laughable
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an actor of comic roles : comedian
2.
a. : the element in art or nature that provokes mirth or humorous reflection
to inquire into the essence of the comic
b. : the representation of the incongruous (as in character and in conduct or in aim and in method) as amusing ; sometimes : the representation of human error and weakness as provocative of amusement
3.
a. : a group of cartoons or drawings arranged in a narrative sequence — compare comic I 3
b. comics plural : the portion of a publication (as a daily or Sunday newspaper) devoted to such groups
4. : a motion picture presenting broad comedy or farce