Gilbertian

[ gil-bur-tee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the style or humor of Sir William S. Gilbert.

Gilbertian

/ ɡɪlˈbɜːtɪən /

adjective

1. characteristic of or resembling the style or whimsical humour of W. S. Gilbert

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gilbertian¹

First recorded in 1875–80; Gilbert + -ian

Example Sentences

When Jean Louise felt apprehensive, expectant, or on edge, especially when confronting her aunt, her brain clicked to the meter of Gilbertian tomfoolery.

From Literature

Of a truth the complete topsy-turveydom of the eternal fitness of things involved by the arrangement struck him as positively Gilbertian.

From Project Gutenberg

The friends laughed together, and the first said, "What a pity the Gilbertian humor has gone out so; you can't adapt it to a daily need any longer without the risk of not being followed."

From Project Gutenberg

He is the young fellow who is something in the City; the everyday young man of the Gilbertian song, with a stick and a pipe and a half-bred black-and-tan.

From Project Gutenberg

But his eyes would surely have glistened at the unconscious and serious anticipation of his own methods at their most Gilbertian, had he ever read pp.

From Project Gutenberg