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
• goo
• mush
• schmaltz
• schmalz
• sludge
• slush
• sorghum

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

Ripa and Consuelos are one of the longest-standing couples in Hollywood, tying the knot in May 1996, one year after meeting on the soap opera All My Children. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025

Trachtenberg was best known in her younger years for her breakout as the titular preteen lead in the 1996 movie adaptation of Louise Fitzhugh's children's novel Harriet the Spy as well as stints on the Nickelodeon sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete and the soap opera All My Children. —Megan McCluskey, TIME, 26 Feb. 2025

The soap opera is a genre older than the invention of the television, dating all the way back to radio serials of the early 20th century. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025

Her cause of death has not been shared. Beyond the Gates, the first new daytime soap opera on network TV in 25 years, debuted on CBS yesterday. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Feb. 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