greasepaint
Britishnoun
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a waxy or greasy substance used as make-up by actors
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theatrical make-up
Explanation
The bright, waxy makeup that stage actors use is called greasepaint. When you land your dream role in your school's production of Cats you'll have to wear lots of greasepaint to look like a tabby. The invention of greasepaint is credited to a German opera singer and chemist, Ludwig Leichner. Leichner's greasepaint was closely related to the pomatums (or waxy hair products) of the time, and developed to add highlights and shadows to actors' faces that could be seen from the audience despite the bright stage lighting. Before the common use of stage lights, stage makeup was most often made of powder.
Vocabulary lists containing greasepaint
Theater - Introductory
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Theater - Middle School
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Theater - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Cameron calls his motion-capture tech “digital makeup,” but it’s such heavy greasepaint that it’s hard to guess who’s under it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025
And perhaps we should have realised these movie moguls' commitment would not wear off with the greasepaint.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2023
When Ma sings, resplendent in her gold teeth and greasepaint makeup, the aches and joys of living reverberate within her all at once.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2020
But is there anything truer to the Joker’s chaotic spirit than shimmering greasepaint slathered on like frosting over a clearly-visible mustache?
From Slate • Oct. 7, 2019
Hector tosses the powder-covered handkerchief onto a table littered with brushes and tins of greasepaint.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
