burlesque
an artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.
any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature.
Also bur·lesk . a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus.
involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject.
of, relating to, or like stage-show burlesque.
to make ridiculous by mocking representation.
to use caricature.
Origin of burlesque
1synonym study For burlesque
Other words for burlesque
Other words from burlesque
- bur·lesque·ly, adverb
- bur·lesqu·er, noun
- pre·bur·lesque, adjective
- un·bur·lesqued, adjective
Words that may be confused with burlesque
- burlesque , caricature, cartoon, parody, satire (see synonym study at the current entry)
Words Nearby burlesque
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use burlesque in a sentence
Not just a dance party, Ultra Violet will also feature burlesque, performance art, visual art, cabaret and drag king performances.
Sydney WorldPride is planning a celebration like no other | Staff reports | November 8, 2022 | Washington BladeGuests are encouraged to come and enjoy top-tier burlesque and specialty performances, kink edutainment, interactive games, and plenty of surprises to thrill one’s senses.
Halloween is back and more queer than ever! | Tinashe Chingarande | October 26, 2022 | Washington BladeLocal drag legend Shi-Queeta-Lee served as the emcee, the GenOUT LGBTQ Youth Chorus sang the national anthem and burlesque drag performer Betty O’Hellno led the Wizards Dance Team in the halftime show.
He needed to get to The Ed Sullivan Show and didn’t have a chaperone, so he got a burlesque dancer to take him there—that’s fantastic.
How Waterbeds, Teen Love and an Unhinged Bradley Cooper Led To Licorice Pizza | Matthew Jacobs | November 23, 2021 | TimeMarried twice by the time she was 16, she made her way to Los Angeles and was working as a cocktail waitress when a customer suggested that she consider dancing at a nearby burlesque theater, the Follies.
Tempest Storm, exotic dancer called ‘The Last Queen of Burlesque,’ dies at 93 | Matt Schudel | April 22, 2021 | Washington Post
Modern burlesque had, by then, shed its reputation for seedy strip clubs and desperate acts.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending | Anne Berry | September 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMixing innovative cocktails and dancing burlesque have one thing in common—they are both performances.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending | Anne Berry | September 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTburlesque artists are often in it for the costumes, spending what they earn on fabric, feathers, and crystals.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending | Anne Berry | September 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The nature of the burlesque scene in London is as diverse as burlesque itself,” said Howard Wilmot, creator of Boylexe/Burlexe.
Inside London's Underground Burlesque and Fetish Scene | Liza Foreman | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBoylexe is a spin-off of a show about women in burlesque called Burlexe, which likewise mixes striptease, monologue, and song.
Inside London's Underground Burlesque and Fetish Scene | Liza Foreman | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe genius of the French language seems more particularly to lend itself to the fabrication of burlesque forms and subterfuges.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanValmond stood watching intently, and the people were very still, for this seemed like real life, and no burlesque.
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete | Gilbert ParkerI fancied that I had pitched my verses in so high a key that no one could mistake their burlesque intention.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland | Kate Douglas WigginBad puns were evidently common on the stage before the days of Victorian burlesque.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport AdamsHis haggard, melancholy mien was in admirable artistic contrast to his garb and the burlesque humour of his song.
Tales of Northumbria | Howard Pease
British Dictionary definitions for burlesque
/ (bɜːˈlɛsk) /
an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it
a ludicrous imitation or caricature
a play of the 17th–19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event
Also: burlesk US and Canadian theatre a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements: Slang name: burleycue
of, relating to, or characteristic of a burlesque
to represent or imitate (a person or thing) in a ludicrous way; caricature
Origin of burlesque
1Derived forms of burlesque
- burlesquer, noun
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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