seriocomical

9.8

Serious and funny at the same time, with the funny side stronger

adjective
/ˌsɪrɪoʊˈkɒmɪkəl/

Literature

: seriocómico

Her performance was seriocomical, prompting laughter even as it addressed serious social issues.

Examples

The author's latest novel has a seriocomical tone that keeps the reader both amused and thoughtful.
The movie's seriocomical style makes it unique among romantic comedies.
This play is seriocomical!
What a seriocomical story!
Her performance was seriocomical, prompting laughter even as it addressed serious social issues.
The author's latest novel has a seriocomical tone that keeps the reader both amused and thoughtful.
The movie's seriocomical style cleverly blends humor with deeper themes.

Synonyms

tragicomic

vsseriocomical

1 7.3

A story or situation that has both sad and funny parts

emphasizes the funny side more than equal sad weight

seriocomic

vsseriocomical

Literature

1 8.6

Mixing serious and funny elements so the funny side is stronger

is the same meaning but written as an alternate form

tragicomical

vsseriocomical

1 8.8

Having both sad and funny parts at the same time

highlights a stronger funny focus rather than equal sad weight

How Serious

tragic

419 3.4

serious

∞ 1.4

seriocomical

Literature

9.8

comic

70 1.9

light-hearted

14 3.5

Surface Forms

seriocomical positive

Morphology

seriocomical = serious + comical (semi-transparent) = serio + comical

The meaning is a combination of 'serious' and 'comical' which is fairly clear, but the combining form 'serio-' is not a standalone modern English word, so the relation is slightly less obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word seriocomical is made from the parts serio- ('serious') and comical ('funny'), so you can imagine it as a mix of serious and comic. That is why something seriocomical is mostly funny but still has serious moments.