| 1. | an amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action. |
| 2. | relief from tension caused by the introduction or occurrence of a comic element, as by an amusing human foible. |
| comic relief n. A humorous or farcical interlude in a serious literary work or drama, especially a tragedy, intended to relieve the dramatic tension or heighten the emotional impact by means of contrast. |