seriocomic
adjective
se·rio·com·ic ˌsir-ē-ō-ˈkä-mik 
: having a mixture of the serious and the comic
a seriocomic novel
seriocomically
ˌsir-ē-ō-ˈkä-mi-k(ə-)lē
adverb 
Did you know?
Seriocomic may have a modern ring to it, but our earliest evidence of the word in print is from 1783. Another "comic" word-heroicomic, meaning "comic by being ludicrously noble, bold, or elevated"-is slightly older; evidence of it dates to 1756. Both words are about a century younger than our third "comic" word, "tragicomic" ("manifesting both tragic and comic aspects"), which print evidence dates to 1683. (Evidence of the variant "tragicomical," however, dates all the way back to 1567.)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner continues, enticingly, with this seriocomic semi-autobiographical portrait of a great American filmmaker’s early years. 
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 The film’s secret weapon, however, is the fifth Basco child — fellow artist and filmmaker Arianna — who narrates the seriocomic proceedings and provides the clear-eyed perspective of a sister in a household dominated by men. Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2022 That’s a really good line, seriocomic in an easy, truthful way, and that’s the film all over. Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 1 Feb. 2022 Schlesinger next proposed to take on James Leo Herlihy’s raw, seriocomic novel about Joe Buck, a lonely, naive dishwasher who comes to New York to seek his fortune as a stud for hire. Washington Post, 29 May 2021 On the other hand, here’s another paradox: Seeing what may be Coppola’s least compelling film has a way of reminding you of all her better ones, especially in the seriocomic vein. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 7 Oct. 2020 Now Coppola and Murray have teamed up again for a new seriocomic story working in an extremely minor key. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 7 Oct. 2020 For Flora, this plays out in a series of seriocomic incidents involving love, politics, and parenting. Mark Athitakis, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2019 Tragedy strikes on Oscar night, splitting the emotions of Best Supporting Actor nominee Michael Stratford (Brian Hutchison) in the world premiere of playwright Paul Rudnick’s seriocomic ensemble piece, Big Night. Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2017 See More
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 The film’s secret weapon, however, is the fifth Basco child — fellow artist and filmmaker Arianna — who narrates the seriocomic proceedings and provides the clear-eyed perspective of a sister in a household dominated by men. Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2022 That’s a really good line, seriocomic in an easy, truthful way, and that’s the film all over. Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 1 Feb. 2022 Schlesinger next proposed to take on James Leo Herlihy’s raw, seriocomic novel about Joe Buck, a lonely, naive dishwasher who comes to New York to seek his fortune as a stud for hire. Washington Post, 29 May 2021 On the other hand, here’s another paradox: Seeing what may be Coppola’s least compelling film has a way of reminding you of all her better ones, especially in the seriocomic vein. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 7 Oct. 2020 Now Coppola and Murray have teamed up again for a new seriocomic story working in an extremely minor key. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 7 Oct. 2020 For Flora, this plays out in a series of seriocomic incidents involving love, politics, and parenting. Mark Athitakis, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2019 Tragedy strikes on Oscar night, splitting the emotions of Best Supporting Actor nominee Michael Stratford (Brian Hutchison) in the world premiere of playwright Paul Rudnick’s seriocomic ensemble piece, Big Night. Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
serious + -o- + comic
First Known Use
1783, in the meaning defined above