Origin of burlesque
synonym study for burlesque
1.
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM burlesque
bur·lesque·ly, adverb bur·lesqu·er, noun pre·bur·lesque, adjective un·bur·lesqued, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH burlesque
burlesque caricature cartoon parody satire (see synonym study at the current entry)Words nearby burlesque
burlap,
burlecue,
burled,
burleigh,
burleson,
burlesque,
burletta,
burley,
burleycue,
burlingame,
burlington
Example sentences from the Web for burlesque
British Dictionary definitions for burlesque
burlesque
/ (bɜːˈlɛsk) /
noun
an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it
a ludicrous imitation or caricature
a play of the 17th–19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event
Also: burlesk US and Canadian theatre
a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements
Slang name: burleycue
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of a burlesque
verb -lesques, -lesquing or -lesqued
to represent or imitate (a person or thing) in a ludicrous way; caricature
Derived forms of burlesque
burlesquer, nounWord Origin for burlesque
C17: from French, from Italian
burlesco, from
burla a jest, piece of nonsense