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View synonyms for burlesque

burlesque

[ ber-lesk ]

noun

  1. an artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.

    Synonyms: farce, lampoon, satire

  2. any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature.
  3. Also burlesk. a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus.


adjective

  1. involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject.
  2. of, relating to, or like stage-show burlesque.

verb (used with object)

, bur·lesqued, bur·lesquing.
  1. to make ridiculous by mocking representation.

verb (used without object)

, bur·lesqued, bur·lesquing.
  1. to use caricature.

burlesque

/ bɜːˈlɛsk /

noun

  1. an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it
  2. a ludicrous imitation or caricature
  3. a play of the 17th–19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event
  4. Alsoburlesk theatre a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements Slang nameburleycue
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a burlesque
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to represent or imitate (a person or thing) in a ludicrous way; caricature
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • burˈlesquer, noun
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Other Words From

  • bur·lesque·ly adverb
  • bur·lesqu·er noun
  • pre·bur·lesque adjective
  • un·bur·lesqued adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of burlesque1

1650–60; < French < Italian burlesco, equivalent to burl ( a ) jest (perhaps < Spanish; burladero ) + -esco -esque
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Word History and Origins

Origin of burlesque1

C17: from French, from Italian burlesco , from burla a jest, piece of nonsense
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Synonym Study

Burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty refer to the literary or dramatic forms that imitate serious works or subjects to achieve a humorous or satiric purpose. The characteristic device of burlesque is mockery of both high and low through association with their opposites: a burlesque of high and low life. Caricature, usually associated with visual arts or with visual effects in literary works, implies exaggeration of characteristic details: The caricature emphasized his nose. Parody achieves its humor through application of the manner or technique, usually of a well-known writer, to unaccustomed subjects: a parody by Swift. Travesty implies a grotesque form of burlesque: characters so changed as to produce a travesty.
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Example Sentences

Modern burlesque had, by then, shed its reputation for seedy strip clubs and desperate acts.

Mixing innovative cocktails and dancing burlesque have one thing in common—they are both performances.

Burlesque artists are often in it for the costumes, spending what they earn on fabric, feathers, and crystals.

“The nature of the burlesque scene in London is as diverse as burlesque itself,” said Howard Wilmot, creator of Boylexe/Burlexe.

Boylexe is a spin-off of a show about women in burlesque called Burlexe, which likewise mixes striptease, monologue, and song.

The genius of the French language seems more particularly to lend itself to the fabrication of burlesque forms and subterfuges.

Valmond stood watching intently, and the people were very still, for this seemed like real life, and no burlesque.

I fancied that I had pitched my verses in so high a key that no one could mistake their burlesque intention.

Bad puns were evidently common on the stage before the days of Victorian burlesque.

His haggard, melancholy mien was in admirable artistic contrast to his garb and the burlesque humour of his song.

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