: a serial drama performed originally on a daytime radio or television program and chiefly characterized by tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment
b
: a series of real-life events resembling a soap opera
2
: the melodrama and sentimentality characteristic of a soap opera
even cops need a little soap opera in their lives Joseph Wambaugh
also: something (such as a novel) having such qualities
She loves to watch daytime soap operas. the movie started out well, but quickly devolved into improbable soap opera
Recent Examples on the WebHow has your soap opera experience come into play, if at all? Ben Rosenstock, Time, 14 Sep. 2022 Kane, who first gained recognition for her role as Lolly Allen in the Aussie soap opera Neighbours in 2006, also starred on The CW's Reign from 2013 to 2017 and appeared in Once Upon a Time, Teen Wolf and SEAL Team. Christina Dugan Ramirez, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022 The long-running NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives makes the full-time jump to streaming beginning Monday on Peacock. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2022 Peacock is about to get a dose of daytime soap opera drama. Lillian Rizzo, WSJ, 4 Aug. 2022 Emma Samms is returning to daytime soap opera General Hospital more than a year after falling ill from COVID-19. Amethyst Tate, Peoplemag, 22 Aug. 2022 At its best, Echoes was aspiring to soap opera trashiness of a bingeable sort. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2022 In this month’s finale, Ms. Owen and Mr. Bish were voted as the runners-up, losing out at the last minute to Turkish soap opera star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and her Italian beau, Davide Sanclimente. James Hookway, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The city’s wealthier neighborhoods, a few miles north of downtown San Antonio, are often adorned with soap opera-style mansions, manicured lawns and lush green foliage.New York Times, 26 July 2022 See More