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
burlesqued; burlesquing
: to imitate in a humorous or derisive manner : mock
a work burlesquing Sherlock Holmes
: to employ burlesque
a temptation to burlesque
burlesquer
noun
Synonyms
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
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
Fight Club is at heart a dry roast of masculinity, a burlesque of the models and habits with which men define and often destroy themselves to avoid emoting or being vulnerable.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for burlesque 
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Noun
When the nightclub switches to full burlesque, Mindy — in an extremely out-of-character move that never really tracks for me — decides that’s a step too far and quits.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
Fight Club is at heart a dry roast of masculinity, a burlesque of the models and habits with which men define and often destroy themselves to avoid emoting or being vulnerable.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for burlesque
Articles Related to burlesque
Dictionary Entries Near burlesque
Cite this Entry
“Burlesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burlesque. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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