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opera bouffe

opera bouffe

9.9
A funny musical play with singing and talking that ends happily
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːpərə bʊf/
translation icon : ópera bufa
  • The new opera bouffe was a delightful experience.

Examples

  • The local theater is performing an opera bouffe famous for its witty satire and playful melodies.

  • His favorite composer specialized in opera bouffe, delighting audiences with humor and charm.

  • She prefers the lively atmosphere of opera bouffe to the seriousness of grand opera.

  • I love attending opera bouffes during the summer.

  • The audience laughed throughout the performance, as it was a delightful opera bouffe filled with witty dialogue and amusing characters.

  • Many opera bouffe productions include comical situations that keep the audience entertained until the happy ending.

  • The play he wrote was a lighthearted opera bouffe, featuring charming songs and plenty of humorous exchanges.

Synonyms

operetta
vsopera bouffe
5 7.3

A short, light stage musical with spoken parts and songs that is often funny

is longer or more satirical rather than mainly short musical entertainment
comic opera
vsopera bouffe
1 5.0

A stage show with singing and spoken lines that is funny and ends happily

focuses more on satirical and lighthearted content
light opera
vsopera bouffe
1 5.3

A short, funny musical play with singing and a light story

is more satirical and specifically comic with sharper humour
bouffe
vsopera bouffe
  • Specialized
9.9

A short funny opera with some spoken words and a happy ending

is similar but emphasizes playful satirical themes
opera comique
vsopera bouffe
  • Specialized
9.1

A French musical play with songs, talking parts, and a happy ending

is broader and adds overt satirical tone rather than only dialogue
buffa
vsopera bouffe
  • Specialized
9.3

A light, funny Italian opera with lively music

is French and more satirical in tone rather than purely lively humour

How Comic

comic opera
1 5.0
opera bouffe
9.9
operetta
5 7.3

Surface Forms

opera bouffe singular
opera bouffes plural

Morphology

opera + bouffe

The meaning is directly compositional: 'opera' (a staged sung drama) combined with 'bouffe' (a light/comic opera) yields 'a comic or light opera', which matches the provided definition. Although 'bouffe' is a French loanword, the semantic contribution of each constituent is clear and cross-linguistically predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun opera bouffe comes from French: opera means a musical show and bouffe comes from a word for 'clown' or 'comic'. Imagine clowns singing and making jokes on stage, and you can see why it means a light, funny opera with a happy ending.