Nearby Words
noun
1.
an artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.
2.
any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature.
3.
Also, bur·lesk. a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus.
adjective
4.
involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject.
5.
of, pertaining to, or like stage-show burlesque.
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Burlesque
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
verb (used with object)
6.
to make ridiculous by mocking representation.
verb (used without object)
7.
to use caricature.
Origin:
1650–60; < French < Italian burlesco, equivalent to burl(a) jest (perhaps < Spanish; compare burladero) + -esco -esque
1650–60; < French < Italian burlesco, equivalent to burl(a) jest (perhaps < Spanish; compare burladero) + -esco -esque
Related forms
bur·lesque·ly, adverb
bur·lesqu·er, noun
pre·bur·lesque, adjective
un·bur·lesqued, adjective
Can be confused: burlesque, caricature, cartoon, parody, satire (see synonym note at the current entry; see synonym note at satire).
Synonyms
1. satire, lampoon, farce. Burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty refer to the literary or dramatic forms that imitate serious works or subjects to achieve a humorous or satiric purpose. The characteristic device of burlesque is mockery of both high and low through association with their opposites: a burlesque of high and low life. Caricature, usually associated with visual arts or with visual effects in literary works, implies exaggeration of characteristic details: The caricature emphasized his nose. Parody achieves its humor through application of the manner or technique, usually of a well-known writer, to unaccustomed subjects: a parody by Swift. Travesty implies a grotesque form of burlesque: characters so changed as to produce a travesty.
1. satire, lampoon, farce. Burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty refer to the literary or dramatic forms that imitate serious works or subjects to achieve a humorous or satiric purpose. The characteristic device of burlesque is mockery of both high and low through association with their opposites: a burlesque of high and low life. Caricature, usually associated with visual arts or with visual effects in literary works, implies exaggeration of characteristic details: The caricature emphasized his nose. Parody achieves its humor through application of the manner or technique, usually of a well-known writer, to unaccustomed subjects: a parody by Swift. Travesty implies a grotesque form of burlesque: characters so changed as to produce a travesty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To burlesque
Example Sentences
- During her early years in burlesque she often threatened to quit.
- She is very special and handles the transformation from a shy girl to a ladylike, burlesque queen with exceptional finesse.
- The most perfect school of the theater in existence is burlesque.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
burlesque
1660s, "derisive imitation, grotesque parody," from Fr. burlesque (16c.), from It. burlesco, from burla "joke, fun, mockery," possibly ultimately from L.L. burra "trifle, nonsense," lit. "flock of wool." Modern sense of "variety show featuring striptease" is Amer.Eng., 1870. Originally (1857) "the sketches
EXPANDat the end of minstrel shows." As a verb, from 1670s.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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