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Glite Dictionary
😏 Partly funny 🎭 Partly comic role
semicomic

semicomic

5.3
A partly funny style that mixes light humor with serious parts
  • adjective
  • /ˌsɛmiˈkɒmɪk/
  • Literature
translation icon : semicómico
  • The film's semicomic moments provided relief from its otherwise dramatic storyline.

Examples

  • That scene was quite semicomic!

  • The novel takes a semicomic approach to exploring family relationships.

  • Her semicomic speech made the audience both laugh and reflect on serious issues.

  • The character's semicomic antics were a highlight of the show!

  • The author's latest book features a semicomic character who finds himself in amusing yet relatable situations.

  • Her semicomic retelling of the events made everyone laugh while still highlighting the seriousness of the topic.

  • The film's semicomic tone eased the tension of some intense moments, blending humor with drama.

Synonyms

funny
vssemicomic
∞ 1.0

Causing people to laugh or smile

is weaker in effect, producing only slight or partial amusement
comic
vssemicomic
289 1.9

Funny and meant to make people laugh

is subtler, giving only partial joking or mild amusement in tone
humorous
vssemicomic
76 1.6

Funny in a way that makes people laugh

is milder and only partly shows amusement in tone
comedic
vssemicomic
34 3.7

About being funny and making people laugh

is less genre-focused and shows only small traces of amusement

Antonyms

serious
452 1.4

Calm and focused, not playful or joking

How Comic

hilarious
  • Informal
264 1.5
comic
289 1.9
semicomic
  • Literature
5.3
dry
45 4.6
serious
452 1.4

Surface Forms

semicomic positive
semicomical positive

Morphology

semicomic = comic (transparent) = semi + comic

The meaning is directly compositional: 'semi-' means partly and 'comic' means humorous or funny.

Etymology

Semicomic comes from the parts semi- meaning 'half' and comic meaning 'funny', so it describes something that is only partly funny or lightly humorous. So, a semicomic scene or story makes you smile sometimes but also feels serious.