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vaudevillian

American  
[vawd-vil-yuhn, vohd-, vaw-duh-] / vɔdˈvɪl jən, 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.

See Examples For:

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

To generations of musical aficionados, Ms. Rivera was a whirling, bounding, high-kicking elemental force of the dance; a seductive singer of smoky ballads and sizzling jazz; and a propulsive actress of vaudevillian energy.

From New York Times Jan. 30, 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

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

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