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

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

²caricature

transitive verb

caricaturedcaricatur·ing

Definition of CARICATURE

: to make or draw a caricature of : represent in caricature <the portrait caricatured its subject>

Examples of CARICATURE

1. The press caricatured him as clumsy and forgetful.
2. <caricatured the supervisor's distinctive walk>

First Known Use of CARICATURE

circa 1771

Related to CARICATURE

Synonyms

burlesque, mimic, do, imitate, mock, parody, send up, spoof, travesty

Related Words

lampoon, pasquinade, satirize; deride, gibe (or jibe), ridicule; ape, copycat, monkey, parrot; duplicate, emulate, replicate, reproduce; act, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pretend, sham, simulate; elaborate, embellish, embroider, exaggerate, magnify, pad, play up, stretch; amplify, enhance, enlarge (on or upon), expand, flesh (out), overdraw, overstate, put on; mime, pantomime; impersonate, perform, personate, play

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

caricature

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Comically distorted drawing or likeness intended to satirize or ridicule its subject. The word, derived from the Italian caricare (“to load or charge”), was probably coined by the Carracci family, who defended the practice as a counterpart to idealization. In the 18th century the caricature became connected with journalism and was put to virulent use by political commentators. In the 1880s photo-process engraving made it possible to produce and illustrate daily newpapers cheaply, bringing caricatures to the general public. In the 20th century caricature increasingly moved into the editorial, sports, and theatrical sections of newspapers. Important caricaturists include Jacques Callot, George Cruikshank, Honoré Daumier, Gustave Doré, and Al Hirschfeld.