caricature

noun

car·i·ca·ture | \ ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r

, -ˌchər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r, ˈka-ri- \

Definition of caricature

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics drew a caricature of the president

2 : a representation especially in literature or art that has the qualities of caricature His performance in the film was a caricature of a hard-boiled detective.

3 : a distortion so gross as to seem like caricature The kangaroo court was a caricature of justice.

caricature

verb

caricatured; caricaturing

Definition of caricature (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make or draw a caricature of : represent in caricature the portrait caricatured its subject The comedian caricatured the governor as a pompous know-it-all.

Other Words from caricature Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about caricature

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Other Words from caricature

Noun

caricatural \ ˌker-i-kə-ˈchu̇r-əl

, -ˈchər- , -ˈtyu̇r- , -ˈtu̇r- , ˌka-ri- \ adjective

caricaturist \ ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r-ist

, -ˌchər- , -ˌtyu̇r- , -ˌtu̇r- , ˈka-ri- \ noun

Synonyms for caricature

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Choose the Right Synonym for caricature

Noun

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

Examples of caricature in a Sentence

Noun An artist was doing caricatures in the park. His performance in the film was a caricature of a hard-boiled detective. The interview made her into a caricature of a struggling artist. Verb The press caricatured him as clumsy and forgetful. caricatured the supervisor's distinctive walk

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Trump modeled his aggressive caricature of maleness throughout his presidency, and throughout his adult life. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "Donald Trump’s ‘Pussy’ Presidency," 17 Jan. 2021 The cast, under Talbert’s fine guidance, is uniformly strong and engaging, placing character over caricature and rarely allowing the sweet to turn syrupy. — Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, "Review: The magical musical ‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’ is a new holiday classic," 5 Nov. 2020 Few have been as strategic about the power of caricature, or had such a complicit wife and court to bolster the spectacle. — New York Times, "A Farewell to the Trump Aesthetic," 16 Jan. 2021 During the 2019 season, Cleveland eliminated Chief Wahoo—a grinning, red-faced caricature of a Native American that served as their logo — from their uniforms, caps and signs at Progressive Field. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "Cleveland’s Major League Baseball Team Will Drop Its Indians Nickname," 14 Dec. 2020 During America’s final lurch into the election, the president has become an even darker caricature of himself, laying bare his willingness to abandon Americans’ health and well-being for his own self-preservation. — James Hamblin, The Atlantic, "The Rise of COVID Denial," 31 Oct. 2020 Wednesday’s edition of Charlie Hebdo also sparked furor for including a caricature of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his underwear lifting up a Muslim woman’s skirt. — David Aaro, Fox News, "Knife attack at French church leaves 3 dead as country is on heightened terror alert," 29 Oct. 2020 The camera pans onto an outraged judge, who yells and bangs his gavel in a caricature of a man who knows he’s been beaten at his own game. — Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, "The Trial Of The Chicago 7," 19 Oct. 2020 The heavy career-day vibe at the Capitol was also another reminder that coverage of the Trump coalition and anti-democratic movements in this country are often lazy class caricature. — Katie Mcdonough, The New Republic, "Die Laughing at the Capitol," 11 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb That gave Democrats an opening to caricature them as pawns of the president and a party establishment that was using them. — NBC news, "Fact check: Trump falsely suggests improper 'voter dump' as count continues in Georgia," 6 Jan. 2021 Though Trump attempted to caricature Harris during the campaign as a leftist who would dominate Biden and turn the country into a socialist republic, she is hardly viewed within the party as a movement progressive. — Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, "Kamala Harris is on the cusp of power but has to tread carefully," 6 Dec. 2020 Biden made the race into a referendum on Trump, and the president tried to caricature Biden as a corrupt, past-his-prime politician who was too weak to hold off the far left wing of his party. — Jordan Fabian, Bloomberg.com, "Joe Biden Wins U.S. Presidency After Bitter Contest With Trump," 7 Nov. 2020 Campaigns usually don’t make bobbleheads specifically because of their potential to caricature the candidates, Parry-Giles says. — Washington Post, "How Fauci came to receive the ‘ultimate honor’: His own bobblehead doll," 14 Sep. 2020 In 2015, masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper that had caricatured the Prophet Mohammad, methodically killing 12 people, including the editor, before escaping in a car. — BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 6 Jan. 2020 Pelosi, who has served in Congress for more than three decades, has long been caricatured as a San Francisco limousine liberal with extreme views. — Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘Pelosi’ tracks the career of a powerful, driven politician," 11 May 2020 Democrats’ efforts to caricature Mr. Trump as anti-Hispanic have had some success and the president has helped fuel the charge. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "Trump’s Pitch to Puerto Rican Voters," 9 Feb. 2020 But Biden is not the across-the-board liberal hawk that he is sometimes caricatured as. — Noah Millman, TheWeek, "Biden and Sanders yearn for a bygone world," 3 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caricature.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.