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Glite Dictionary
🤡 A comic servant 😂 A comic performer
gracioso

gracioso

9.9
A funny servant character in old Spanish plays who makes jokes and mocks people
  • noun
  • /ɡrəˈsiːoʊsoʊ/
  • Literature
translation icon : gracioso
  • The king, although he is well informed about Menca's innocence by the gracioso Coqun, takes advantage of her death to condone Gutierre's actions and marry him off to Leonor.

Examples

  • In the role of a Spanish gracioso, however, Crispin represents the strongest departure from standard expectations of his stock role since the fool only infrequently becomes a central mover or protagonist.

    Academic text (2000)

  • If the gracioso (a role he occupies even though he has shown his bravery in attempting to defend Jacinta) can resist, who can fail?

    Academic text (1991)

  • The roles of court jester and gracioso are finally compounded in Leonor.

    Academic text (2004)

  • In Spanish theatre, the gracioso often brings laughter to the audience with witty remarks.

  • As a gracioso, his job is to entertain the crowd with jokes and funny antics.

  • The gracioso played a crucial role in the play, using humor to comment on the actions of the nobles.

Synonyms

comic
vsgracioso
145 2.5

A person who tells jokes to make people laugh

is a specific theatrical servant character providing stage commentary and satire
jester
vsgracioso
23 7.4

A person who entertains a king or queen with jokes and tricks

serves on stage as a comic servant who offers commentary and satire
punchinello
vsgracioso
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A funny puppet or person who acts silly to make people laugh

typically appears as a servant-like stage character offering jokes and social satire
guignol
vsgracioso
9.9

The main funny puppet character in traditional French shows

is a stage servant figure who mixes humour with satirical commentary
auguste
vsgracioso
  • Jargon
9.9

A funny clown who acts silly and makes mistakes to make people laugh

fulfills a servant role that comments and satirizes rather than just visual clowning

Surface Forms

gracioso singular
graciosos plural

Etymology

Gracioso comes from Spanish and ultimately from the Latin word gratia which means 'grace' or 'favor', the same root as English grace and gracious. So in Spanish Golden Age theatre the gracioso was a charming, witty servant who used his charm to make the audience laugh and comment on the play.