caricature

2 entries found for caricature.
To select an entry, click on it.

caricature[1,noun] caricature[2,transitive verb]

Main Entry: ¹car·i·ca·ture
Pronunciation: 'ker-i-k&-"chur, -"ch&r, -"tyur, -"tur, -'ka-ri-
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian caricatura, literally, act of loading, from caricare to load, from Late Latin carricare
1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics
2 : a representation especially in literature or art that has the qualities of caricature
3 : a distortion so gross as to seem like caricature
- car·i·ca·tur·al /"ker-i-k&-'chur-&l, -'ch&r-, -'tyur-, -'tur-, -"ka-ri-/ adjective
- car·i·ca·tur·ist /'ker-i-k&-"chur-ist, -"ch&r-, -"tyur-, -"tur-, -'ka-ri-/ noun
synonyms CARICATURE, BURLESQUE, PARODY, TRAVESTY mean a comic or grotesque imitation. CARICATURE implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject <caricatures of politicians in cartoons>. BURLESQUE implies mockery especially through giving a serious or lofty subject a frivolous treatment <a nightclub burlesque of a trial in court>. 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>. TRAVESTY implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd <this production is a travesty of the opera>.