farce

farce · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A comic dramatic work using buffoonery, crude jokes, and improbable situations.

  2. 2.

    An absurd event or situation, especially one that makes a mockery of something.

  3. 3.

    The genre of comedy characterized by exaggerated, improbable situations.

Forms

plural: farces

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    border on farce — To become absurdly ridiculous
  • •
    farcical — Adjective describing something resembling a farce

Related words

Antonyms: seriousness, tragedy
See also: absurd, comedy, mockery
Synonyms: absurdity, mockery, sham, travesty

Etymology

From French farce ("stuffing"), from Old French farcir ("to stuff"), from Latin farcire ("to stuff"). Originally referred to comic interludes "stuffed" into religious plays in medieval France.