farce

1 of 2

noun

ˈfärs 

1

a

: a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot

b

: the broad humor characteristic of farce

2

: an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation

the trial became a farce

3

: a savory stuffing : forcemeat

farce

2 of 2

verb

farced; farcing

transitive verb

1

: stuff

2

: to improve or expand (something, such as a literary work) as if by stuffing

Did you know?

From Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, many of us are familiar with farce in its dramatic sense. However, when farce first appeared in English, it had to do with cookery, not comedy. In the 14th century, English adopted farce from Middle French with its original meaning of "forcemeat"—that is, a highly seasoned, minced meat or fish often served as a stuffing. In the 16th century, English imported the word again, this time to refer to a kind of knockabout comedy already popular in France. French farce had its origins in the 13th-century practice of "stuffing" Latin church texts with explanatory phrases. By the 15th century, a similar practice of inserting unscripted buffoonery into religious plays had arisen. 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.

Synonyms

Noun

• caricature
• cartoon
• joke
• mockery
• parody
• sham
• travesty

Examples of farce in a Sentence

Noun

an actor with a talent for farce

the recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a farce

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Play up the farce and potentially lose the opportunity to help the play find its sense of greater purpose. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024

Her stunt, though, wrote tragedy and farce into the congressional record. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

Verb

Others might go right to farce for the 60-game schedule, the make-it-up-as-you-go-along rule changes, the runner-on-second rule to start extra innings and three-batters-per-pitcher minimum. —Evan Grant, Dallas News, 28 Oct. 2020

As the season progresses, though, the pathos largely gives way to farce. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 23 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English farse, from Middle French farce, from Vulgar Latin *farsa, from Latin, feminine of farsus, past participle of farcire

Verb

Middle English farsen, from Anglo-French farsir, from Latin farcire

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

farce

noun

ˈfärs

1

: a play about ridiculous and absurd situations that is intended to make people laugh

2

: humor characteristic of a farce

3

: something that is ridiculous

farcical

ˈfär-si-kəl

adjective