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
Sometimes, the best way to parody something is to play it surprisingly straight. James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025 Compared to 2005, when Green said the writers struggled to source toys or prove to their lawyers that something existed to parody, the rise of YouTube and social media means nothing stays niche anymore. Rafael Motamayor, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for parody
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parody
Noun
  • The actor, who originally starred on SNL from 1989 to 1995, appeared as the tech billionaire — and head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — in a spoof of Trump’s heated Feb. 28 White House exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Olive Sturgess, who appeared on about two dozen TV Westerns and got to act alongside Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson in the Roger Corman 1963 cult horror spoof The Raven, died Feb. 19, her family announced.
    Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Conan O'Brien Named Host Of The 2025 Oscars By Megan Cartwright Deputy Entertainment Editor Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 Conan O'Brien revealed on his podcast that part of his Oscars promo joke was cut by the Academy.
    Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The response to Glaser’s hosting gig on social media appeared to be overwhelmingly positive, after a show that included jokes about Diddy, Selena Gomez, Wicked and an Adam Sandler/Timothee Chalamet bit that had a callback earlier this month at the Oscars.
    Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 13 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
  • Aduba holds everything together with a deft turn, refusing to let Cordelia Cupp’s on-paper oddities ever become a caricature.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Questions about whether making a movie in which little people are treated like retrograde caricatures was a cool thing to do in this day and age.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Munn shared that the motion is a fidget of Mulaney's that Malcolm has learned to imitate.
    Hannah Sacks, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Younger narwhals also tended to imitate the behavior of older ones, indicating that social learning could influence how narwhals use their tusks, according to the study.
    Julianna Bragg, CNN, 8 Mar. 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 24 Mar. 2025.

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