Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

vaudevillian

American  
[vawd-vil-yuhn, vohd-, vaw-duh-] / vɔdˈvɪl yən, voʊd-, ˌvɔ də- /

noun

  1. Also vaudevillist. a person who writes for or performs in vaudeville.


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of vaudeville.

vaudevillian British  
/ ˌvəʊdəˈvɪlɪən, ˌvɔː- /

noun

  1. a person who writes for or performs in vaudeville

"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

adjective

  1. of, characteristic of, or relating to vaudeville

"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

Etymology

Origin of vaudevillian

First recorded in 1925–30; vaudeville + -ian

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.

The book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller, which infuses vaudevillian mirth into “The Princess and the Pea,” has been updated by Amy Sherman-Palladino to be more in keeping with contemporary sensitivities.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

His widest-loved role in recent years was in 2017's “Paddington 2,” where he played a vaudevillian con man.

From Salon • May 11, 2024

He also played a hard-boiled radio station owner in “Memphis” and showed fine vaudevillian chops in “On the Twentieth Century” singing “Five Zeros,” an ode to the joys of money.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023

Likewise, she has never experienced the vaudevillian atmosphere of the Last Night, with all its flamboyant costumes and communal singalongs.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023

They were the legs of a once quite widely acknowledged public beauty, a vaudevillian, a dancer, a very light dancer.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger