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rocambolesque. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
rocambolesque, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
rocambolesque in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
rocambolesque you have here. The definition of the word
rocambolesque will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
rocambolesque, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French rocambolesque, in reference to Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail's character Rocambole.
Adjective
rocambolesque (comparative more rocambolesque, superlative most rocambolesque)
- Fantastic, incredible, fabulous.
a rocambolesque story
2001, “Chapter 14: Structure, Contingency, and Choice”, in Joan Wallach Scott, Debra Keates, editors, Schools of Thought: Twenty-five Years of Interpretive Social Science, Princeton University Press, page 267:Behind much of this were particular concrete New Left movements, some serious, some more rocambolesque.
2004, Christopher Wood, Sincere Male Seeks Love and Someone to Wash His Underpants, Twenty First Century Publishers, page 18:Though not exactly seeking carpet slippers and the reassuring click of knitting needles he had envisaged a future rather less rocambolesque than the plot of the average Tarantino movie.
2017, Matteo Salvadore, The African Prester John and the Birth of Ethiopian-European Relations, 1402-1555, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), page 121:The latter in particular was an unlikely candidate for what would turn out to be the most rocambolesque experiences in the entire history of the encounter.
Translations
French
Etymology
From Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail's character Rocambole + -esque.
Pronunciation
Adjective
rocambolesque (plural rocambolesques)
- fantastic, unusual, incredible, wacky
- Synonyms: incroyable, inimaginable, inouï, invraisemblable
Descendants
Further reading