soap opera

noun

1

a

: a serial drama performed originally on a daytime radio or television program and chiefly characterized by tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment

b

: a series of real-life events resembling a soap opera

2

: the melodrama and sentimentality characteristic of a soap opera

even cops need a little soap opera in their lives

—Joseph Wambaugh

also : something (such as a novel) having such qualities

soap-operatic

ˈsōp-ˌä-pə-ˈra-tik 

adjective

Synonyms

• corn
• sludge

Examples of soap opera in a Sentence

She loves to watch daytime soap operas.

the movie started out well, but quickly devolved into improbable soap opera

Recent Examples on the Web

Eugene Domingo stars as Mauricia, a disrespected restaurant worker who, while watching soap operas one night, gets sucked through her TV screen into a training academy for villains. —PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025

Prior to joining the soap opera this time around, Adams starred on Days of Our Lives. —Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

The term was coined in the 1990s when the antics of the players and scandalous incidents resembled something of a high-octane soap opera. —Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Tracey Bregman is soap opera royalty, but there are some people who haven't been too fond of some of her storylines. —Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from its sponsorship by soap manufacturers

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

soap opera

noun

: a radio or television drama presented in a series of continuing stories and characters and intended to appeal to the emotions

Etymology

so called because the advertisers on these programs were usually soap manufacturers