operetta

American

[op-uh-ret-uh] / ˌɒp əˈrɛt ə /

noun

a short opera, usually of a light and amusing character.

operetta British

/ ˌɒpəˈrɛtə /

noun

a type of comic or light-hearted opera

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

operetta Cultural

Comic or lighthearted operas of the kind written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Operettas generally have a substantial amount of spoken (not sung) dialogue.

Other Word Forms

operettist noun

Etymology

Origin of operetta

1760–70; < Italian, diminutive of opera opera ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But Lubitsch envisioned, as no one else did, what might come of marrying sound films with a modified form of operetta.

From The Wall Street Journal

Music had been part of theater’s appeal since the early years of the republic, but even up until the late 19th century, European imports were dominant, notably the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan and Jacques Offenbach.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now they were stuck in her head, like a catchy tune from a nautically themed operetta that one cannot help singing in the shower, despite having a strong dislike for the show itself.

From Literature

He built the Savoy Hotel and Savoy Theatre and produced the first operettas from Gilbert and Sullivan.

From BBC

The rock band Queen were the star guests at the Last Night of the Proms, giving their first ever symphonic performance of their rock operetta, Bohemian Rhapsody.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023