seriocomic

[ seer-ee-oh-kom-ik ]

adjective

1. partly serious and partly comic:

   a seriocomic play.

seriocomic

/ ˌsɪərɪəʊˈkɒmɪk /

adjective

1. mixing serious and comic elements

Derived Forms

• ˌserioˈcomically, adverb

Other Words From

• seri·o·comi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of seriocomic¹

First recorded in 1775–85; seri(ous) + -o- + comic

Example Sentences

Debt is a theme running through Season 5 of “Fargo,” and there was no more terrifying bill collector in Noah Hawley’s latest seriocomic venture into the dark whiteout of the Upper Midwest than Ole Munch.

From Los Angeles Times

In a cultural landscape of darkly seriocomic prestige series like "Succession" and "The Bear," Rose Byrne is happy to just take a pratfall.

From Salon

More of a recognition reel for a fan convention than a movie, it signals a career that’s traveled far from its first evocation of a raw seriocomic intelligence about small-to-bursting lives.

From Los Angeles Times

For Ben Stiller and Adam Scott, the positive response to their seriocomic dystopian Apple TV+ series “Severance” means different kinds of relief.

From Los Angeles Times

Schlesinger then proposed to take on James Leo Herlihy’s raw, seriocomic novel about Joe Buck, a lonely, naive dishwasher who comes to New York to seek his fortune as a stud for hire.

From Washington Post