parody 1 of 2

1
as in spoof
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect the musical is a parody of every biblical epic ever made

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in joke
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something the young man sported a feeble parody of a mustache in a vain attempt to make himself look older

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

parody

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun parody differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of parody are burlesque, caricature, and travesty. While all these words mean "a comic or grotesque imitation," parody applies especially to treatment of a trivial or ludicrous subject in the exactly imitated style of a well-known author or work.

a witty parody of a popular novel

Where would burlesque be a reasonable alternative to parody?

The words burlesque and parody are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, burlesque implies mockery especially through giving a serious or lofty subject a frivolous treatment.

a nightclub burlesque of a trial in court

When is caricature a more appropriate choice than parody?

Although the words caricature and parody have much in common, caricature implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject.

caricatures of politicians in cartoons

When could travesty be used to replace parody?

The synonyms travesty and parody are sometimes interchangeable, but travesty implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd.

this production is a travesty of the opera

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of parody
Noun
Additionally, disco offered a framework for instrumentalists to play around with, as well as characteristics that cannot be boiled down to logic: there can also be affective reasons, regardless of whether the intent is irony, camp, parody, or the expression of genuine sentiment. Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 23 Feb. 2025 The book opens with a kind of parody of Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave. Sean Illing, Vox, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
During an interview taking place at New York Magazine’s Vulture Festival, Williams, 53, discussed his viral Club Shay Shay interview being parodied by the show, saying that while he’s been parodied on the weekly series a total of nine times over the years, he’s never received an invite to host. Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 18 Nov. 2024 West’s hellfire-and-locust symbolism parodied biblical judgment, but such shame no longer applies to current secular permissiveness or the progressive ideology in Marxist writer Mike Davis’s City of Quartz (1990), famous for its subversive condemnation of Los Angeles’s capitalist elitism. Armond White, National Review, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for parody
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parody
Noun
  • During the sketch, Kardashian, 44, sang along in the spoof of the Lawrence Welk Show with Fred Armisen as Welk and Will Ferrell as singer and actor Robert Goulet.
    Marina Watts, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Spaceballs Release date: June 24, 1987 Cast: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, and more Director: Mel Brooks Rotten Tomatoes score: 52% critics, 83% audience Mel Brooks is one hell of a filmmaker and the master of spoofs.
    Grace Dean, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • After a joke about Adam Sandler’s fashion sense, O’Brien suddenly changed tone to address the devastation of the wildfires in Los Angeles, and how an awards show can seem self-indulgent if that context was not addressed.
    Annie Aguiar, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2025
  • O’Brien briefly paused the jokes to somberly address the recent Los Angeles wildfires as well as the divisive political climate.
    Sarah Whitten,Sara Salinas,Russell Leung, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Musk has mocked Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, repeatedly since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
    Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The Vice President’s face has been subject to mock meme edits for several months, as political commentators used editing tools to exaggerate his features and create child-like caricatures.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • For Bong, this approach is vital for his films, as that human element grounds movies that effortlessly shift among satire, pathos, action, and genre.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The superhero movie satire from creator/executive producer Jon Brown had Oscar winner Sam Mendes and Emmy-winning frequent HBO collaborator Armando Iannucci as executive producers.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Vice President’s face has been subject to mock meme edits for several months, as political commentators used editing tools to exaggerate his features and create child-like caricatures.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Amis’s caricatures retain their links to British reality; his observations about class, gender, and money still find their mark.
    Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Gone were the regal ceremony and traditionalism, replaced by a humility intended to imitate Christ’s poverty.
    Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Xi has no reason to imitate Putin’s reckless break with Europe and the United States.
    Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • If they weren’t dressed as animals, beer bottles, giant burritos, glittery unicorns, or cartoon and video game characters, runners had on foam reindeer antlers.
    Gregory Wakeman, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
  • In the footage, the trio is shown accidentally killing a man named Mojo, a deviation from the cartoon's villain Mojo Jojo.
    Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Then Sterling did some less effective things and got suspended anyway, so that mad idea was, at least, parked for the time being.
    Amy Lawrence, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • What needs to be done to prevent a Kessler meltdown?
    Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Parody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parody. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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