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
Joseph Wambaugh
also
: something (such as a novel) having such qualities
Synonyms
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
The soap opera, or telenovela, holds cultural power like nothing else in Brazil.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Beyond the Gates, an all-new CBS daytime drama that premieres on Feb. 24, will make history as the first Black soap opera in 35 years following Generations, which ran for 13 months and concluded in 1991.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
On Get Yo Scat Dirty, Vol. 2, Big Steff’s relentless stream of get-rich-quick schemes and drug dealing soap operas could break speedometers.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
Duell, 37, portrayed Michael Corinthos on the soap opera for 14 years, beginning with his first episode in 2010.
—Tracy Wright, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for soap opera 
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Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Beyond the Gates, an all-new CBS daytime drama that premieres on Feb. 24, will make history as the first Black soap opera in 35 years following Generations, which ran for 13 months and concluded in 1991.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
On Get Yo Scat Dirty, Vol. 2, Big Steff’s relentless stream of get-rich-quick schemes and drug dealing soap operas could break speedometers.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
Duell, 37, portrayed Michael Corinthos on the soap opera for 14 years, beginning with his first episode in 2010.
—Tracy Wright, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for soap opera
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Dictionary Entries Near soap opera
Cite this Entry
“Soap opera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soap%20opera. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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