Entertaiment is a form of passive consumer activity, understood objectively, that communicates between text and audience from an external stimulus, aims to offer pleasure, and requires an audience. It is the opposite of boredom, according to Oliver and Barstsch (2010).

It can take many forms, from a play, film, or TV program to an outdoor concert or even shopping. It has the ability to cross over different media, allowing for creative remix of themes and images.

The word entertainment derives from the Latin intertenere, from the prefix inter- and the suffix tenere. It has also been influenced by the Indo-European root ten, meaning to stretch.