Dictionary

soap opera en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsoʊp ˌɑ.pɹə/ (US)
• /ˈsoʊp ˌɑ.pɚ.ə/ (US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From the soap and detergent commercials originally broadcast during the shows, which were aimed at the audience of women who were doing their cleaning; opera from the melodramatic character of the shows, as the earlier horse opera.

Meanings

1. (countable) 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.
   • It also followed the very successful long-running soap opera, Neighbours. 2014, Frank J. Lechner, John Boli, The Globalization Reader, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 393:
   • This chapter considers the growing interest in the popular Welsh-language soap opera, Pobol Y Cwm (People of the Valley), and the extent to which discourses of Welshness and definitions of cultural and national identity contribute to the appeal and longevity of the soap. 2002, Robert C. Allen, To Be Continued...: Soap Operas Around the World, Routledge, →ISBN, page 81:
2. (uncountable) Such serials in general.
3. (broadly, countable, uncountable) Any story that is like a soap opera, as by being convoluted or melodramatic.
   • An' just lookit how things turned out! What a complete and utter soap opera 2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Rogueport:
   • Salal invented some soap opera about a mystery informant, and Meg sold it to the cops. 1989 May 6, Liz Galst, “Meet Meg Lacey, Private Heat”, in Gay Community News, page 7:

Forms

Coordinates

telenovela

Deriveds

soapumentary · soap-operatic

Descendants

Seifenoper

Relateds

sudsy

Synonyms

teleserye · sinetron · daytime serial · serial · story · telenovela · soap

Translations (86)

mk са́пунска о́пера (television serial) · nl soapserie (television serial) · lb Seefenoper (television serial) · cmn 電視劇 /电视剧 (television serial) · ar مُسَلْسَلَات (television serial) · be мы́льная о́пера (television serial) · is sápuópera (television serial) · gd siabann (television serial) · de Soap (television serial) · th น้ำเน่า (television serial) · cmn 肥皂劇 /肥皂剧 (television serial) · pl opera mydlana (television serial) · de Seifenoper (television serial) · ro telenovelă (television serial) · ja ソープオペラ (television serial) · es folletín (television serial) · ko 연속극 (television serial) · ga sobalchlár (television serial) · mk сапу́ница (television serial) · th ซีรีส์ (television serial) · fi saippuaooppera (television serial) · nl soapreeks (television serial) · hi धारावाहिक (television serial) · az sabun operası (television serial) · pt novela (television serial) · uk серіа́л (television serial) · ca fulletó (television serial) · pt telenovela (television serial) · fa اپرای صابونی (television serial) · cmn 連續劇 /连续剧 (television serial) · id sinetron (television serial) · be тэлесерыя́л (television serial) · fr soap opera (television serial) · ga sobaldráma (television serial) · ca culebrot (television serial) · fr téléroman (television serial) · fi saippuasarja (television serial) · ja ドラマ (television serial) · sv såpa (television serial) · el σαπουνόπερα (television serial) · da sæbeopera (television serial) · nb såpeopera (television serial) · ar مُسَلْسَلَات تِلِفِزْيُونِيَّة (television serial) · fr feuilleton (television serial) · ja 昼メロ (television serial) · pl telenowela (television serial) · tl telenobela (television serial) · fa نمایش صابونی (television serial) · sl telenovela (television serial) · ko 련속극 (television serial) · hu szappanopera (television serial) · it telenovela (television serial) · gl telenovela (television serial) · nn såpeopera (television serial) · ky эзилме опера (television serial) · arz تمثيلية (television serial) · sv såpopera (television serial) · uk телесеріа́л (television serial) · fr soap (television serial) · ja 昼ドラ (television serial) · ru телесериа́л (television serial) · ca telenovel·la (television serial) · es novelón (television serial) · nv táláwosh binahjįʼ njilkid (television serial) · et seebiooper (television serial) · arz مسلسل (television serial) · es culebrón (television serial) · es telenovela (television serial) · ka საპნის ოპერა (television serial) · fa اپرای صابون (television serial) · be серыя́л (television serial) · nl soap (television serial) · ru мы́льная о́пера (television serial) · yue 肥皂劇 /肥皂剧 (television serial) · ja シリーズ (television serial) · cs mýdlová opera (television serial) · ar تَمْثِيلِيَّة (television serial) · id opera sabun (television serial) · th ละครน้ำเน่า (television serial) · ru сериа́л (television serial) · tr pembe dizi (television serial) · ja 昼ドラマ (television serial) · ko 시리즈 (television serial) · he אוֹפֶּרַת סַבּוֹן (television serial) · uk ми́льна о́пера (television serial) · ko 드라마 (television serial)