Picaresque: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Picaresque adjective. Telling the episodic adventures of a likeable rogue who wanders from place to place.
How to say it
pik-uh-RESK/ˌpɪkəˈrɛsk/
3 syllables, stressed on the third (RESK).
Picaresque in a sentence
Don Quixote and Tom Jones are picaresque novels full of inns, brawls and narrow escapes.
His gap year was picaresque: three countries, two lost passports and a stint selling hats.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- episodic
- roguish
- rambling
- adventurous
Where picaresque comes from
From Spanish picaresco, from pícaro, a rogue.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
His gap year was _____: three countries, two lost passports and a stint selling hats.
- pithy
- lyrical
- picaresque
Show the answer
picaresque: His gap year was picaresque: three countries, two lost passports and a stint selling hats.