Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎭 Comic theater 🤡 Comic or exaggerated 😂 Comic imitation 😜 To mock
to burlesque

to burlesque

8.3
To imitate someone in a funny, exaggerated way to make fun of them
  • verb
  • /bɜrˈlɛsk/
translation icon : parodiar
  • The comedian expertly burlesqued the politician's speech, exaggerating his mannerisms for comedic effect.

Examples

  • Time is known to play grim jokes with historical monuments, but it probably has never burlesqued anything more than it has our national emblem, the British bulldog.

    Blog text (12)

  • For example, a group of farm boys descended on Cold Spring in 1897 to witness and burlesque a bastardy hearing scheduled before the justice of the peace.

    Academic text (2001)

  • She burlesqued a slump, knees buckling, shoulders sagging, head drooping.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • In her latest sketch, she burlesqued the famous singer, mimicking her style and gestures to create laughter.

  • The play burlesqued the tropes of romance films, highlighting their clichés in a hilarious way.

Synonyms

to mock
vsto burlesque
  • Offensive
209 3.4

Make fun of someone by copying them to show dislike

is more comic and uses exaggeration rather than focusing on contempt
to take off
vsto burlesque
16 4.2

To copy someone in a funny way

is more about exaggeration and representational mockery than simple mimicry
to parody
vsto burlesque
15 5.3

To copy the style of someone or something to make it funny by exaggerating features

is aimed at mocking or representing a person rather than copying style alone
to caricature
vsto burlesque
7 6.6

To draw or act like someone while making their features bigger to be funny

is broader, mocking by exaggerating manner or behaviour not just features
to spoof
vsto burlesque
5 6.3

Imitate something in a funny way to make people laugh

is often sharper and mocks by exaggerating characteristics rather than only joking
to mime
vsto burlesque
2 5.0

To copy someone's actions to make a joke

is usually verbal or exaggerated and aims to mock rather than silent copying

Compounds

burlesque show
  • NSFW
2 8.1

A stage show with funny acts and dancing where performers remove clothes

How Mocking

to lampoon
8 7.7
to parody
15 5.3
to burlesque
8.3
to mimic
77 3.1
to imitate
186 2.7

Surface Forms

burlesque infinitive
burlesqued past
burlesqued past participle
burlesquing present participle
burlesques third person singular

Etymology

Burlesque comes from the Italian burlesco, from burla meaning 'joke' or 'mockery'. To burlesque someone is to make a joking, exaggerated imitation of them for comic effect.