caricature

¹car·i·ca·ture

noun
\ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r, -ˌchər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r, -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-ˈchu̇r-əl, -ˈchər-, -ˈtyu̇r-, -ˈtu̇r-, -ˌka-ri-\ adjective

— car·i·ca·tur·ist \ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r-ist, -ˌchər-, -ˌtyu̇r-, -ˌtu̇r-, -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

Related to CARICATURE

Synonyms: mockery, cartoon, farce, joke, parody, sham, travesty

Antonyms: meiosis, understatement

Related Words: burlesque, comedy; lampoon, takeoff; counterfeit, fake, feigning, forgery, hoax, humbug, knockoff, phony (also phoney), pretense (or pretence), sham, simulation

Near Antonyms: homage, tribute

see all synonyms and antonyms

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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