Definitions for soap opera
ˈɒp ər ə, ˈɒp rəsoap oper·a

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. soap operanoun

   a serialized program usually dealing with sentimentalized family matters that is broadcast on radio or television (frequently sponsored by a company advertising soap products)

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. soap operanoun

   A radio or television serial, typically broadcast in the afternoon or evening, about the lives of melodramatic characters, which are often filled with strong emotions, highly dramatic situations and suspense.

2. Etymology: From soap + opera: soap from the soap and detergent commercials originally broadcast during the shows, which were aimed at women who were cleaning their house at the time of viewing; opera from the melodramatic character of the shows.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Soap opera

   A soap opera, or soap for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers. The term was preceded by "horse opera", a derogatory term for low-budget Westerns. BBC Radio's The Archers, first broadcast in 1950, is the world's longest-running radio soap opera. The longest-running current television soap is Coronation Street, which was first broadcast on ITV in 1960, with the record for the longest running soap opera in history being held by Guiding Light, which began on radio in 1937, transitioned to television in 1952, and ended in 2009. A crucial element that defines the soap opera is the open-ended serial nature of the narrative, with stories spanning several episodes. One of the defining features that makes a television program a soap opera, according to Albert Moran, is "that form of television that works with a continuous open narrative. Each episode ends with a promise that the storyline is to be continued in another episode". In 2012, Los Angeles Times columnist Robert Lloyd wrote of daily dramas: Although melodramatically eventful, soap operas such as this also have a luxury of space that makes them seem more naturalistic; indeed, the economics of the form demand long scenes, and conversations that a 22-episodes-per-season weekly series might dispense with in half a dozen lines of dialogue may be drawn out, as here, for pages. You spend more time even with the minor characters; the apparent villains grow less apparently villainous. Soap opera storylines run concurrently, intersect and lead into further developments. An individual episode of a soap opera will generally switch between several concurrent narrative threads that may at times interconnect and affect one another or may run entirely independent to each other. Episodes may feature some of the show's current storylines, but not always all of them. Especially in daytime serials and those that are broadcast each weekday, there is some rotation of both storyline and actors so any given storyline or actor will appear in some but usually not all of a week's worth of episodes. Soap operas rarely conclude all the current storylines at the same time. When one storyline ends, there are several other story threads at differing stages of development. Soap opera episodes typically end on some sort of cliffhanger, and the season finale (if a soap incorporates a break between seasons) ends in the same way, only to be resolved when the show returns for the start of a new yearly broadcast. Evening soap operas and those that air at a rate of one episode per week are more likely to feature the entire cast in each episode, and to represent all current storylines in each episode. Evening soap operas and serials that run for only part of the year tend to bring things to a dramatic end-of-season cliffhanger. In 1976, Time magazine described American daytime television as "TV's richest market", noting the loyalty of the soap opera fan base and the expansion of several half-hour series into hour-long broadcasts in order to maximize ad revenues. The article explained that at that time, many prime time series lost money, while daytime serials earned profits several times more than their production costs. The issue's cover notably featured its first daytime soap stars, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives, a married couple whose onscreen and real-life romance was widely covered by both the soap opera magazines and the mainstream press at large.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. soap opera

   A soap opera is a television or radio series characterized by continuous, melodramatic plot and subplots, often involving romantic, personal or familial relationships. These series generally feature an ensemble cast and broadcast multiple times a week or even daily. The term originated from the early radio dramas being sponsored by soap manufacturers.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Soap opera

   A soap opera, often referred to simply as a soap, is an ongoing, episodic work of usually dramatic genre, that is fictionally presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials' broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Dial Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Lever Brothers, as sponsors and producers.

Matched Categories

1. • Serial

How to pronounce soap opera?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say soap opera in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of soap opera in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of soap opera in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of soap opera in a Sentence

1. Scott Brown:

   It's been a real soap opera for the markets about whether the Fed is going to move or aren't they going to move.

2. Stephen King:

   And, you know, there was something about Mike Pence that’s creepy, and I think it has something to do with the hair. The hair doesn’t look like it has strands. It’s just there. He’s like the mean doctor on a soap opera, the one who sells drugs, you know, or has a prostitution ring from Bulgaria or something. He has that look.

3. Aaron David Miller:

   But what do they amount to? It is confined and contained to a soap opera-like exchange that never leads to anything of consequence.

4. Nick Bullen:

   The British royal family is the best soap opera in town, it's as simple as that.

5. Chris Hemsworth:

   Back when I was still on the soap, I became incredibly insecure and full of anxiety because I didn't know if I was any good. I spent years being angsty, constantly telling people I wasn't just part of a soap opera, that I was a real artist, and I remember Luke sort of snapping, telling me to shut up, that he was sick of hearing it.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=soap opera
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Soap_Opera
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_Opera
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=soap opera