Definition

Noun: A performer who works in vaudeville, a type of entertainment popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries featuring a variety of acts such as comedy, song, dance, and magic.

Usage Examples

• The old theater was once filled with laughter for the vaudevillian's comedy routine.
• She studied the history of early 20th-century entertainment, focusing on the life of a famous vaudevillian.
• His grandfather was a vaudevillian who could sing, dance, and tell jokes.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe something related to such performers.
  • He had a vaudevillian charm and a quick wit.
• It can imply a style of broad, physical comedy characteristic of vaudeville theater.
  • The comedian's vaudevillian antics reminded the audience of a bygone era.

Variants and Related Words

• Vaudeville (n): The theatrical genre itself, consisting of a series of unrelated variety acts.
• Variety performer (n): A more general term for an entertainer skilled in multiple types of acts, which includes vaudevillians.

Synonyms

• Trouper
• Variety artist
• Entertainer (general)
• Performer (general)

Antonyms

• Dramatic actor (specifically focused on serious theater)
• Soloist (often specializes in one discipline like singing)

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "Treading the boards": A general idiom for acting in the theater, which a vaudevillian would do.
• "A song and dance man": A colloquial term for a vaudeville performer specializing in music and comedy, closely related to the concept of a vaudevillian.

Noun

1. a performer who works in vaudeville