burlesque

1 of 2

noun

bur·​lesque (ˌ)bər-ˈlesk 

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 turn entry 2 sense 4d), comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts

performers who got their start in burlesque

burlesque adjective

burlesquely adverb

burlesque

2 of 2

verb

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

burlesquer noun

Synonyms

Noun

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

Verb

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

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of burlesque in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Mendoza didn’t begin performing until 2016, although she had been involved in the backstage production side of burlesque for some time before then. —J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2025

Elsewhere, Abercrombie’s pastorals are almost like burlesques of plein air painting. —Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Verb

That song doesn’t belong in a film that promotes the era’s social fragmentation and repeats fatuous antagonisms — burlesqued by Melissa McCarthy playing the sea world’s villainous white-witch octopus Ursula. —Armond White, National Review, 26 May 2023

The seeming callousness with which the dancers burlesque a fourteen-year-old’s death—the breezy way that the dance turns a killing into a sight gag—induces a shiver. —Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1676, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for burlesque

• grotesque
• arabesque
• picaresque
• romanesque
• statuesque
• carnivalesque
• desk

Kids Definition

burlesque

1 of 2 noun

bur·​lesque (ˌ)bər-ˈlesk 

1

: a written or dramatic work that makes fun of something by making it appear ridiculous

2

: theatrical entertainment consisting of comic skits and dance

burlesque adjective

burlesque

2 of 2 verb

burlesqued; burlesquing

: to mock or make fun of through burlesque