as in parody
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
it is interesting to note that the first novel ever written in English was followed by a burlesque of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to parody
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
burlesquing the teacher's nervous tic isn't very nice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burlesque
Anne Schrager,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Feb. 2026
Hell’s Half-acre, the bawdy section of town, was thriving, the Texas Brewery opened in 1891, and Byer’s Opera House had brought burlesque to Cowtown.
—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Nov. 2025
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2026
During that visit, Manson spoke about his friendship with French-Chilean artist Alejandro Jodorowsky, who lived in Mexico during the 1970s and 1980s and officiated Manson’s wedding to burlesque performer Dita Von Teese in Ireland in 2005.
—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burlesque
Noun
The main performance is scheduled to include aerial acrobatics, bondage, burlesque and drag performers from groups such as The Dragonettes, AKArts Collective and others with hypnotic live looping and vocal music from Morgan Sorne.
—
Anne Schrager,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Feb. 2026
Hell’s Half-acre, the bawdy section of town, was thriving, the Texas Brewery opened in 1891, and Byer’s Opera House had brought burlesque to Cowtown.
—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Nov. 2025
Verb
One burlesqued the Oscar broadcast’s impending move to YouTube, in 2029.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2026
During that visit, Manson spoke about his friendship with French-Chilean artist Alejandro Jodorowsky, who lived in Mexico during the 1970s and 1980s and officiated Manson’s wedding to burlesque performer Dita Von Teese in Ireland in 2005.
—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burlesque
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burlesque
Noun
-
Scary Movie paved the way for more big-screen parodies, including Date Movie (2006), Epic Movie (2007), and Meet the Spartans (2008).
-
Their outmoded style, with its seriousness and corniness, its big acting choices and low budgets, is basically impossible to recreate without falling into parody.
Verb
-
In the weeks leading up to the June 26 release of the film, men mocked 26-year-old Alcock’s appearance across social media.
-
Each sketch was packed with mocking details, such as long red ties, Big Macs and lots and lots of gold, to drive home her point.
Noun
-
The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.
-
But given the current box office sensations of Obsession and Backrooms, Tiddes certainly wishes the timing had allowed for spoofs of those horror movies.
Verb
-
Here was a government that had explicitly borrowed from Beijing’s developmental playbook and sincerely attempted to imitate it, but failed.
-
These are glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists that imitate a natural hormone in the gut.
Noun
-
Beneath its gleeful barrage of kink, karaoke, and absurdist comedy lies a sharp satire of exclusion, identity, and liberation within contemporary Queer culture.
-
After the White House initially defended the post as satire, the video in question was deleted after a backlash including from some Republicans.
Cite this Entry
“Burlesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burlesque. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
