Definition
A female comedian or comic actress, especially one in professional entertainment.
Etymology
From French 'comédienne' (feminine form of 'comédien'), derived from 'comédie' (comedy), which comes from Latin 'comoedia.' The French feminine suffix '-enne' was adopted into English in the 19th century to specifically denote female performers.
Kelly Says
Comedienne shows how French gendered everything—in modern English, we're moving to just 'comedian' for all performers, but the word reminds us that entertainment was long segregated by gender even in vocabulary!
Translations
AMአማርኛ
喜剧演员
xi-ju-yan-yuan
ARالعربية
مُتَسَحِّرَة
mu-ta-sa-hee-rah
BNবাংলা
কমেডিয়ান
koh-meh-dee-an
CACatalà
comediant
koh-meh-dee-an
CSČeština
herečka
her-ečka
DADansk
komiker
koh-mee-ker
DEDeutsch
Comedienne
koh-meh-dee-en
ELΕλληνικά
κωμικοτραγουδίστρια
koh-mee-koh-tra-goo-dist-ree-ah
ESEspañol
comediante
koh-meh-dee-AHN-teh
FAفارسی
بازیگر طنز
ba-ze-gar tanz
FISuomi
koomikko
koh-mee-kko
FRFrançais
humoriste
oo-mo-rees
HEעברית
קומיקאית
koh-mee-kah-it
HIहिन्दी
कॉमेडियन
koh-meh-dee-an
HUMagyar
humorista
hoo-moo-ree-stah
IDBahasa Indonesia
komika
koh-mee-kah
IGIG
onye na-akpụ
oh-nye na-ak-pu
ITItaliano
comica
koh-mee-kah
KKKK
кomeдиан
koh-meh-dee-an
MRMR
कॉमेडियन
koh-meh-dee-an
MSBahasa Melayu
pelawak
peh-la-wak
MYမြန်မာ
ကော်မီဆရာ
kaw-mee-sha-ya
NLNederlands
comedienne
koh-meh-dee-en
NONorsk
komiker
koh-mee-ker
PAPA
ਕਾਮੇਡੀਅਨ
kah-meh-dee-an
PLPolski
komediantka
koh-meh-dee-ant-kah
PTPortuguês
comediante
koh-meh-dee-AHN-teh
RORomână
comediantă
koh-meh-dee-an-tah
SVSvenska
komiker
koh-mee-ker
SWKiswahili
mchekeshaji
m-che-ke-sha-ji
TAதமிழ்
கோமெடியன்
koh-meh-dee-yan
TEతెలుగు
కొమెడియన్
koh-meh-dee-yan
THไทย
นักแสดงตลก
naak-dtaen-ta-lok
TRTürkçe
kadın komedyen
kadin koh-meh-deen
UKУкраїнська
комедіантка
koh-meh-dee-ant-kah
VITiếng Việt
diễn viên hài
dien vien hai
ZH中文
女喜剧演员
nǚ xǐjù yǎnyuán
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
French-derived female suffix -ienne applied to 'comedian' starting 19th century. The masculine 'comedian' was default; 'comedienne' marked women as exceptional category, reinforcing gender as notable modifier rather than neutral descriptor.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'comedian' for all genders. 'Comedienne' is now archaic; retaining it suggests women comics need gender-marked language.
Inclusive Alternatives
["comedian","comic performer"]
Empowerment Note
Women comedians fought throughout 20th century against being linguistically segregated. Using 'comedian' universally honors their claim to the full professional title.