comic opera

US: (kom′ik op′ər ə, -op′rə)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

com′ic op′era, 

1. Music and Dance a diverting opera with spoken dialogue and a happy ending.
2. Music and Dance the tradition or genre of such operas.
• 1905–10

com•ic-op•er•a  (kom′ik op′ər ə, -op′rə), adj. 

1. comically vainglorious;
   having farcically self-important aspects:
   a comic-opera army, proud in its ceremonial splendor but inept on the battlefield.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

comic opera noun

1. a play largely set to music, employing comic effects or situations
   See also opéra bouffe, opera buffa