| 1. | a diverting opera with spoken dialogue and a happy ending. |
| 2. | the tradition or genre of such operas. |
[kom-ik-op-er-uh, -op-ruh] 
| comically vainglorious; having farcically self-important aspects: a comic-opera army, proud in its ceremonial splendor but inept on the battlefield. |
| com·ic-op·er·a (kŏm'ĭk-ŏp'ər-ə, -ŏp'rə) adj. Not to be taken seriously: comic-opera politics; a comic-opera style of uniform. |