A farce is a broad satire or comedy, though now it's used to describe something that is supposed to be serious but has turned ridiculous.
‘His farce is built on a familiar idea: that of the well-meaning guest who spreads disruptive chaos.’ ‘The tone could change effortlessly and sensitively from farce to tragedy in the space of an episode.’ Farces have been written for the stage and film. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins It's related to something called 'forcemeat'. Dictionary.com Unabridged I have said from day one that this round of peace negotiations is a farce and this week is proof that they absolutely are. Such farces - which included clowning, acrobatics, reversal of social roles, and indecency - soon developed into a distinct dramatic genre and spread rapidly in various forms throughout Europe. It is also often set in one particular location, where all events occur. Delivered to your inbox! [1] Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances. I promised to do this on my word, and nine o'clock on the next evening was fixed for his reading the farce to me. See more. See the full definition for farce in the English Language Learners Dictionary, Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for farce, Nglish: Translation of farce for Spanish Speakers, Britannica English: Translation of farce for Arabic Speakers, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about farce. Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances. having or characterized by persistent or earnest desire. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'farce.' In theatre, a farce is a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable. The term farce is derived from the French word for "stuffing", in reference to improvisations applied by actors to medieval religious dramas. The illusions of a weak old man, or a farce played by a girl. As The Sting Man shows, Abscam was becoming so outrageous that it was turning into an American Farce. In theatre, a farce is a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. But, to turn what was grave into farce, the door opened, and Wilkinson ushered in Peter Peebles. to season (a speech or composition), especially with witty material.
farce synonyms, farce pronunciation, farce translation, English dictionary definition of farce. Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox! It is also often set in one particular location, where all events occur. the recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a, The courts that review the Administration’s executive orders regarding TikTok and WeChat have the opportunity to avoid repeating history as, That is what impelled him to speak out against the great, Fonseca ties each one into recurring motifs that illustrate his interpretation of perception and reality, faith and irony, tragedy and, But his loneliness is palpable, as is the existential haplessness that's turned his tragedies into, 9 Pairs of Words That Look the Same But Different. To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields: Xu Zhuodai, "The Fiction Material Wholesaler" (1921 story), Zhang Tianyi, "The Pidgin Warrior" (1936 novel), Japan has a centuries-old tradition of farce plays called, This page was last edited on 20 August 2020, at 19:10. Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way. a broadly humorous play based on the exploitation of improbable situations, the genre of comedy represented by works of this kind, to stuff (meat, fowl, etc) with forcemeat, The New Auteur of Iran: Asghar Farhadi Reinvents Domestic Drama With ‘The Past’, The Real Story and Lesson of the Abscam Sting in ‘American Hustle’, As Peace Talks Progress, Palestinian Authority’s Popularity Plummets, The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson, Volumes One and Two, Notes and Queries, Number 197, August 6, 1853. humor of the type displayed in such works. The comedic sense of farce in English dates from the 16th century, when England imported a kind of knockabout comedy already popular in France. Absentee Ballot vs. Mail-In Ballot: Is There A Difference? Those remarks turned a political case into a farce that involved corruption and sexual trysts. “Karen” vs. “Becky” vs. “Stacy”: How Different Are These Slang Terms? When a few letters make a large difference. Further details may exist on the, Christopher Rea, "The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China" (University of California Press, 2015), ch. Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character. The best known farce is La Farce de maître Pathelin (The Farce of Master Pathelin) from c. Farces have been written for the stage and film. When farce first appeared in English, it had to do with cookery, not comedy. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Then this quiz should be butyraceous. Farce definition: A farce is a humorous play in which the characters become involved in complicated and... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1, Middle English farsen, from Anglo-French farsir, from Latin farcire, Middle English farse, from Middle French farce, from Vulgar Latin *farsa, from Latin, feminine of farsus, past participle of farcire, Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP. Define farce. In the 14th century, English adopted farce from Middle French, retaining its original meaning of "forcemeat" or "stuffing." Democrats And Republicans: Why Are They Donkeys And Elephants? As Marx said, history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020, C14 (in the sense: stuffing): from Old French, from Latin, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Farce definition, a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character. expressive of or characterized by sorrow. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time, 10 Types Of Nouns Used In The English Language. Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). It is maintained to something between the level of comedy and farce: nor is there the least exaggeration. “Farce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farce. Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time. 1460.[3]. Farces are particularly popular in Marathi and Gujarati language theatre. Are We Entering 'Uncharted' or 'Unchartered' Waters.
Do you remember all the words from last week, September 21–27, 2020? History repeats itself,” Marx famously wrote, “first as tragedy, second as farce. Accessed 30 Sep. 2020. In the 14th century, English adopted farce from Middle French, retaining its original meaning of "forcemeat" or "stuffing."
Later forms of this drama were performed as comical interludes during the 15th and 16th centuries. n. 1. a. Learn more. If a defendant is not treated fairly, his lawyer might say that the trial is a farce. 5: "Farce", A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, "farce - Free On-Line English Dictionary - Thesaurus - Children's, Intermediate Dictionary - Wordsmyth", "Zhang Tianyi's Swindling for National Salvation", "Weekend im Paradies von Franz Arnold und Ernst Bach", "Zapolska, Gabriela: The Morality of Mrs. Dulska", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Farce&oldid=974041392, Articles to be expanded from January 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham. Learn a new word every day. Why Do “Left” And “Right” Mean Liberal And Conservative? It is a mixture of tragedy and farce: the former occasionally good, the latter poor buffoonery. farce meaning: 1. a humorous play or film where the characters become involved in unlikely situations 2. the style….
This dramatic genre had its origins in the 13th-century practice of augmenting, or "stuffing," Latin church texts with explanatory phrases. The Most Epic Words You’re Probably Neglecting. Farce definition is - stuff.