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caricature

4 ENTRIES FOUND:

1car·i·ca·ture

noun
\ˈker-i-kə-ˌchr, -ˌchər, -ˌtyr, -ˌtr, -ˈka-ri-\

Definition of CARICATURE

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 \ˌker-i-kə-ˈchr-əl, -ˈchər-, -ˈtyr-, -ˈtr-, -ˌka-ri-\ adjective
car·i·ca·tur·ist \ˈker-i-kə-ˌchr-ist, -ˌchər-, -ˌtyr-, -ˌtr-, -ˈka-ri-\ noun

Examples of CARICATURE

  1. An artist was doing caricatures in the park.
  2. His performance in the film was a caricature of a hard-boiled detective.
  3. The interview made her into a caricature of a struggling artist.

Origin of CARICATURE

Italian caricatura, literally, act of loading, from caricare to load, from Late Latin carricare
First Known Use: 1712

Synonym Discussion of CARICATURE

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>.

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

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