Rabelaisian

American  

[rab-uh-ley-zee-uhn, -zhuhn] / ˌræb əˈleɪ zi ən, -ʒən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or suggesting François Rabelais, whose work is characterized by broad, coarse humor and keen satire.

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noun

1. a person who admires or studies the works of Rabelais.

Rabelaisian British  

/ ˌræbəˈleɪzɪən, -ʒən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling the work of Rabelais, esp by broad, often bawdy humour and sharp satire

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noun

1. a student or admirer of Rabelais

Other Word Forms

• Rabelaisianism noun

Etymology

Origin of Rabelaisian

First recorded in 1855–60; Rabelais + -ian

Example Sentences

Experts believe the New Orleans carnival season, an international tourist destination that culminated in the Rabelaisian Mardi Gras on Feb. 25, may have served as a kind of petri dish to spread the virus.

From Washington Times • Mar. 22, 2020

“The community of artists that formed here, that generation ... it was Rabelaisian, it was anarchic, almost. And Don was the master of this. His influence was enormous.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2019

As ever, the book is rambunctiously inclusive, practically Rabelaisian.

From The Guardian • May 20, 2017

For example, Homer Stern of Purcell & Stern is, essentially, the Rabelaisian publisher Roger Straus, while his most visible author, the “nerviest cultural critic of her generation,” Pepita Erskine, is a darker-skinned Susan Sontag.

From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2015

His first order of business was to settle into the Presidential Suite at the Hotel Loftleidir and order one of his Rabelaisian meals, with bowls and bowls of skyr.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady