picaresque

1 of 2

adjective

pi·​ca·​resque ˌpi-kə-ˈresk How to pronounce picaresque (audio)
ˌpē-
: of or relating to rogues or rascals
also : of, relating to, suggesting, or being a type of fiction dealing with the episodic adventures of a usually roguish protagonist
a picaresque novel

picaresque

2 of 2

noun

: one that is picaresque

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What is a picaresque novel?

Picaresque derives from Spanish picaresco, which means "of or relating to a picaro," the picaro being the rogue or bohemian usually at the center of picaresque fiction. The typical picaro is a wandering individual of low social standing who happens into a series of adventures among people of various higher classes, and often relies on wits and a little dishonesty to get by. The first known novel in this style is Lazarillo de Tormes (circa 1554), an irreverent work about a poor boy who works for a series of masters of dubious character. The novel has been attributed to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, but his authorship is disputable.

Examples of picaresque in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The resulting, often humorous, battle-of-narrators is a formal distraction of sorts—another layer in a carefully balanced work stacked with modes: Gothic mystery, picaresque adventure, psychological study of grief and loss, environmental fiction, a novel about novels. Nathan Jeffers, Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024 End of carousel Christian Dior, functionally a counterweight to these picaresque Nazi adventures, spends much of the series anxious, conflicted and stuck. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 The framing device of a ten-year-old boy (Fred Savage) being read a storybook by his grandfather (Peter Falk) that turns into an elaborate picaresque vision is essentially TV stuff. Armond White, National Review, 7 Feb. 2024 His plots are loose-limbed and picaresque, more Gogol than Turgenev. Patrick Kurp, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2024 The novel turns picaresque when Anna is whisked away to Hollywood on the thin pretense of an Ayn Rand television show. Ryan Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023 But Ryder shines as a true indie darling in Sean Price Williams’s The Sweet East, a picaresque drama that follows Lillian (Ryder), a 17-year-old high schooler who takes a wild tour of the northeastern United States via a score of cartoonish subcultures. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2023 Brilliantly written by Daniel Nayeri and beautifully illustrated by Daniel Miyares, this rollicking picaresque brims with drama, humor and a kind of giddy joy at the charms and weirdnesses of human nature. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 6 Dec. 2023 The gorgeous and historic setting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, under the shadow of Air Force One and high above the picaresque Santa Susana Mountains, provided poignant reminders of how deeply the party has changed since Reagan left the presidency in 1989. Rick Klein, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2023
Noun
Who could achieve this not by appearing in a tragedy but while starring in a toasty picaresque? Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 What ensues among them becomes a picaresque of sorts, arrayed in quills and cashmere. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023 During the preceding hour, Lulu, played by Melanie Griffith, and Charlie (Jeff Daniels) seemed to be embarking on an eccentric picaresque about mismatched lovers taking a zany car ride from Manhattan through Pennsylvania. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 27 May 2022 Ninety-five years later, the novelist Miguel de Cervantes put this adventure novel on the imagined bookshelf of his gallant picaresque dreamer, Don Quixote de la Mancha — a true Californian if ever there was one. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023 The last of the Southern novels offers a variation of a sort: longer and more linguistically ambitious, a rambling picaresque set in Knoxville during the 1950s, revolving around a man who has turned his back on his privileged upbringing to live among society’s forgotten. David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2022 But certain titles have already emerged as favorites on the festival circuit; of the dozens of productions vying for this year's five nominations, here are 10 frontrunners of note, from a Mexican auteur's surreal autobiographical epic to a dreamy Polish picaresque about a runaway donkey. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 28 Oct. 2022 Suttree, somewhat of an indulgence, a romp, a Knoxville picaresque, closed out the Seventies. Joy Williams, Harper’s Magazine , 14 Dec. 2022 In fact, the book is Cervantes’s satire of literary tropes (including the novel of chivalry, epic poetry, the pastoral novel, and, to a lesser degree, the picaresque). The New Yorker, 18 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'picaresque.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Spanish picaresco, from pícaro

First Known Use

Adjective

1810, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of picaresque was in 1810

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Cite this Entry

“Picaresque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picaresque. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

picaresque

adjective
pi·​ca·​resque
ˌpik-ə-ˈresk,
ˌpē-kə-
: of, relating to, or being a type of fiction which presents the adventures of a usually rascally character
a picaresque novel

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