burlesque

noun bur·lesque \ (ˌ)bər-ˈlesk \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of burlesque

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

a burlesque of Victorian society

2 : mockery usually by caricature

a writer whose burlesque often bordered on cruelty

3 : theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns (see ²turn 4d), comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts

performers who got their start in burlesque

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burlesque

adjective

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burlesquely

adverb

See burlesque defined for English-language learners

See burlesque defined for kids

Examples of burlesque in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of burlesque from the Web

The event is a multimedia festival with live music, visual arts, burlesque, body painting, dancers and other performers.

— john adamian, courant.com, "SWAN Day At Trinity-On-Main Celebrates Women Artists," 7 Apr. 2018
Scherzinger, who was born in Honolulu, is known as the lead singer and frontwoman of the burlesque-pop dance troupe the Pussycat Dolls, which disbanded in 2010.

— neal j. leitereg, latimes.com, "Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls sheds some real estate in Hawaii," 6 Apr. 2018
Enjoy performances by over 40 local and international dancers, workshops by award-winning burlesque stars and more.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Coming up: Parlor in the Round, burlesque fest and TaikoProject," 9 Mar. 2018
The silly stuff isn’t cultural appropriation, but high-burlesque borrowing.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Isle of Dogs’ Review: Wes Anderson Unleashed," 22 Mar. 2018
Our list includes seven comedians, five musicians, three authors, three actors, one burlesque performer and one basketball icon.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "20 major (and minor) celebrities you’ll see in Indiana this spring," 5 Mar. 2018
The most striking thing about the extended burlesque in the Senate as Friday night became Saturday morning was the almost complete lack of urgency in the chamber.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "President* Trump Is a Leader Who Refuses to Lead," 20 Jan. 2018
Finally, stop by one of Berlin’s hottest burlesque bars, Prinzipal Kreuzberg.

— karen burshtein, Vogue, "From Burlesque to Bauhaus, Here’s Where to Find the Roaring 20s in Berlin Today," 29 Jan. 2018
The long-running Oakland variety show hosted by Jamie DeWolf mixes stand-up, storytelling, circus, slam poetry, burlesque, freestyle rap and that which defies category.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of Jan. 28," 25 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burlesque.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of burlesque

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1667

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

burlesque Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

lampoon, mockery, satire;

comedy, farce, humor, sketch, slapstick, squib;

distortion, exaggeration;

imitation, impersonation, mimicking;

Synonym Discussion of burlesque

caricature, burlesque, parody, travesty mean a comic or grotesque imitation. caricature implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject.

- caricatures of politicians in cartoons

burlesque implies mockery especially through giving a serious or lofty subject a frivolous treatment.

- a nightclub burlesque of a trial in court

parody applies especially to treatment of a trivial or ludicrous subject in the exactly imitated style of a well-known author or work.

- a witty parody of a popular novel

travesty implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd.

- this production is a travesty of the opera

Other Performing Arts Terms

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

burlesque

verb

Definition of burlesque

burlesqued; burlesquing

transitive verb

: to imitate in a humorous or derisive manner : mock

a work burlesquing Sherlock Holmes

intransitive verb

: to employ burlesque

a temptation to burlesque

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burlesquer

noun

Examples of burlesque in a Sentence

burlesquing the teacher's nervous tic isn't very nice

Origin and Etymology of burlesque

see ¹burlesque

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1676

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

burlesque Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

lampoon, 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 Defined for English Language Learners

burlesque

noun

Definition of burlesque for English Language Learners

: a play, story, novel, etc., that makes a serious subject seem funny or ridiculous
: a kind of entertainment that was popular in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and that included funny performances, singing, dancing, etc., and sometimes performances in which women took off their clothes