nounplural noun opéras bouffes/ˈäp(ə)rə ˈbo͞of/ /ˌôpārä/ /ˌɑpərə ˈbuf/

• 1A French comic opera, with dialogue in recitative and characters drawn from everyday life.

  ‘the libretto for Offenbach's opéra bouffe’

  More example sentences

  • ‘At the other end of the spectrum from Meyerbeer, and aimed directly at the audience of the Exhibitions, was the opéra bouffe of the German-Jewish composer, Jacques Offenbach.’
  • ‘Le Testament de la Tante Caroline (‘Aunt Caroline's Will’, 1932-3; staged 1936), a bawdy opéra bouffe, was popular in France though not elsewhere.’

  1. 1.1Opéra bouffe as a genre.