slapstick
n.a type of comedy that uses physical humor, like falling over or hitting things, to make people laugh. It is usually very silly and does not rely on words.
n.a style of physical comedy characterized by exaggerated, often violent, physical action and visual gags. Frequently associated with silent film and early television, it relies on the audience's visual interpretation rather than dialogue.
“The movie is full of slapstick and funny accidents.”
“While the script was weak, the film relied on classic slapstick to keep the audience entertained.”
“Modern comedies often blend sophisticated wordplay with occasional bursts of slapstick to appeal to a broad demographic, though purists argue that physical humor alone lacks the nuance of character-driven satire.”
“Things went so badly that a compilation of their slapstick defending quickly gained traction on social media.”
“The relationship between the sad clowns holed up in their grimy space, just about surviving the postapocalyptic threat outside, leans into slapstick.”
From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.