Gilbertian

[ gil-bur-tee-uhn ]

/ gɪlˈbɜr ti ən /

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adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of the style or humor of Sir William S. Gilbert.

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Origin of Gilbertian

First recorded in 1875–80; Gilbert + -ian

Words nearby Gilbertian

Gila woodpecker, gilbert, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Gilbert and George, Gilbert and Sullivan, Gilbertian, Gilbertine, Gilbert Islands, Gil Blas, gild, Gilda

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Gilbertian in a sentence

These complications were getting exceedingly Gilbertian in character.
Wanderings Among South Sea Savages And in Borneo and the Philippines|H. Wilfrid Walker
This last is on the old lines of "palmy-day" burlesque, and has not much in it that is characteristically Gilbertian.
A Book of Burlesque|Willam Davenport Adams
In the dialogue, however, one comes across an occasional passage which strikes one as quite Gilbertian in its cynicism.
A Book of Burlesque|Willam Davenport Adams
Of him the great Gilbertian generalisation is untrue; he was not born either a little Liberal or else a little Conservative.
George Bernard Shaw|Gilbert K. Chesterton

His plays are full of modern odds and ends, and in form are anything from the Robertsonian comedy to the Gilbertian extravaganza.
Iconoclasts|James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for Gilbertian

Gilbertian

/ (ɡɪlˈbɜːtɪən) /

adjective

characteristic of or resembling the style or whimsical humour of W. S. Gilbert

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