Gilbertian

[gil-bur-tee-uh n]

adjective

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

Origin of Gilbertian

First recorded in 1875–80; Gilbert + -ian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gilbertian

Historical Examples of gilbertian

When he made "Society" rhyme with "Propriety," he thought he was getting to be Gilbertian.
Ade's Fables
George Ade
There was something so "Gilbertian" in the idea of a prisoner acting as his own jailer!
From Paris to New York by Land
Harry de Windt
The question of toasts, too, and the light in which the university held them, was Gilbertian.
Rowlandson's Oxford
A. Hamilton Gibbs
The whole position was Gilbertian beyond the wildest dreams of that genius.
The Escaping Club
A. J. Evans
These complications were getting exceedingly Gilbertian in character.
Wanderings Among South Sea Savages And in Borneo and the Philippines
H. Wilfrid Walker

British Dictionary definitions for gilbertian

Gilbertian

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