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
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
Hirson appeared on numerous soap operas in the 1960s and ’70s, including The Edge of Night and Somerset.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2025
Musk's Bid Is a Fly in the Ointment for OpenAI
In a nutshell, Altman is the golden boy of the AI Revolution but Musk has massive power in the Beltway and this chain of events is likely just the start of a bigger soap opera poised to play out between Musk and Altman.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
Bruce French, the dependable character actor who did lots of work for the theater and portrayed Father Lonigan, the blind priest on the soap opera Passions who somehow could sense that evil was imminent, has died.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2025
They have been involved in two real-life soap operas — getting publicly spurned by Japanese star Roki Sasaki and seeing the widow of their beloved former chairman file a lawsuit against her husband’s brothers that contests control of the team.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soap opera
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2025
Musk's Bid Is a Fly in the Ointment for OpenAI
In a nutshell, Altman is the golden boy of the AI Revolution but Musk has massive power in the Beltway and this chain of events is likely just the start of a bigger soap opera poised to play out between Musk and Altman.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
Bruce French, the dependable character actor who did lots of work for the theater and portrayed Father Lonigan, the blind priest on the soap opera Passions who somehow could sense that evil was imminent, has died.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2025
They have been involved in two real-life soap operas — getting publicly spurned by Japanese star Roki Sasaki and seeing the widow of their beloved former chairman file a lawsuit against her husband’s brothers that contests control of the team.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soap opera
Articles Related to soap opera
Cite this Entry
“Soap opera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soap%20opera. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share