burlesque

¹bur·lesque

noun \(ˌ)bər-ˈlesk\

Definition of BURLESQUE

1

: a literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation

2

: mockery usually by caricature

3

: theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts

— burlesque adjective

— bur·lesque·ly adverb

Examples of BURLESQUE

1. The book is a burlesque of Victorian society.
2. a writer whose burlesque often bordered on cruelty
3. Several important 20th-century performers got their start in burlesque.

Origin of BURLESQUE

burlesque, adjective, comic, droll, from French, from Italian burlesco, from burla joke, from Spanish

First Known Use: 1667

Related to BURLESQUE

Synonyms

parody, caricature, put-on, rib, send-up, spoof, takeoff, travesty

Related Words

burlecue; lampoon, mockery, satire; comedy, farce, humor, sketch, slapstick, squib; distortion, exaggeration; imitation, impersonation, mimicking

See Synonym Discussion at caricature

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

Rhymes with BURLESQUE

grotesque, moresque

²burlesque

verb

bur·lesqued bur·lesqu·ing

Definition of BURLESQUE

transitive verb

: to imitate in a humorous or derisive manner : mock

intransitive verb

: to employ burlesque

— bur·lesqu·er noun

Examples of BURLESQUE

1. <burlesquing the teacher's nervous tic isn't very nice>

First Known Use of BURLESQUE

1676

Related to BURLESQUE

Synonyms

mimic, caricature, do, imitate, mock, parody, send up, spoof, travesty

Related Words

lampoon, pasquinade, satirize; deride, gibe (or jibe), ridicule; ape, copycat, monkey, parrot; duplicate, emulate, replicate, reproduce; act, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pretend, sham, simulate; elaborate, embellish, embroider, exaggerate, magnify, pad, play up, stretch; amplify, enhance, enlarge (on or upon), expand, flesh (out), overdraw, overstate, put on; mime, pantomime; impersonate, perform, personate, play

burlesque

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In literature, comic imitation of a serious literary or artistic form that relies on an extravagant incongruity between a subject and its treatment. It is closely related to parody, though burlesque is generally broader and coarser. Early examples include the comedies of Aristophanes. English burlesque is chiefly drama. John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728), Henry Fielding's Tom Thumb (1730), and Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Critic (1779) are parodies of popular dramatic forms of the period. Victorian burlesque, usually light entertainment with music, was eclipsed by other popular forms by the late 19th century, and burlesque eventually came to incorporate and be identified with striptease acts (see burlesque show).