Serio-comic
[seer-ee-oh-KAH-mik]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: English, 18th century
1.
Combining the serious and the comic; serious in intention but jocular in manner or vice versa.
Examples of Serio-comic in a sentence
"Serio-comic movies can feel more realistic than straight comedies or dramas because of how they mix familiar emotions."
"The 1985 film “The Breakfast Club” is a serio-comic classic, contrasting the solemnity of some of its moments with delightful humor."
About Serio-comic
The compound “serio-comic” combines “serio-“ and “comic,” each of which is an English root. At the same time as the term came into use in English, similar forms were being used in French (“sério-comique”) and in Italian (“serio-comico”).
Did you Know?
Historically, the term “serio-comic” is associated with a surprising concept: satirical maps. In the mid-19th century, with various wars breaking out across Europe, artists like Fred W. Rose created serio-comic maps of Europe featuring cartoonish depictions of the various countries engaged in war. These serio-comic maps often depicted countries as animals, such as turkeys, lions, bears, and greedy octopi, as a means of finding humor in their very serious military campaigns and aims.
