car·i·ca·ture
ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r 
-ˌchər,
-ˌtyu̇r,
-ˌtu̇r,
ˈka-ri-
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.
caricatured; caricaturing
: 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.
Synonyms
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
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Because Cooper is not a Jew himself, dissenters opined, accentuating his schnoz was an act of crude caricature.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2023
Certainly, more so than in the past, people have drawn ideological caricatures of various brands and make decisions based on that.
—David Marchese David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2023
To some, Cooper’s nose in the trailer seemed like the kind of outsized caricature that has been a regular feature of Jewish portrayals throughout film history.
—Jake Coyle, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2023
And every crowd has their caricatures and kind of gets kind of represented by the kind of the goofiness of that.
—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
However, instead of analyzing Richard’s psyche, these choices allow both figures to become caricatures driven solely by greed and immorality.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Aug. 2023
Other than the quintessential high school bully Biff, who’s like Shrek’s evil twin, the villains in the Back to the Future movie were Libyan terrorists, depicted as Middle Eastern caricatures in a VW van who seek revenge on Doc for bilking them out of their plutonium.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2023
In contrast to his mentor, Castelli, he has been seen as more of a collector’s dealer than an artist’s dealer—a view that Gagosian considers a caricature.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023
Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
With no facts to support this assertion, Kenyon resorts to caricature.
—Olivia Gentile, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2023
There’ll be festival fun including games, stilt walkers and caricature artists, plus food trucks and pop-up bars throughout the park.
—Norma Cavazos, Dallas News, 28 June 2023
So inside and outside the establishment, Altman perfectly caricatures the ultimate national power struggle.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2023
The human body, dissected and caricatured, is the basis of Yashnyk’s work.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 9 June 2023
Over the phone, Filliozat rejected the idea that she was driven by greed and accused Goldman of caricaturing her work.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Free For more information, visit https://www.discoverwauwatosa.com/event/firefly-art-fair-3/ Art & Chalk Fest in West Bend What: Chalk artists creating large-scale works of chalk art, a glass-blowing demo in a mobile hot shop, caricature artists and demonstrations of clay sculpting.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 16 June 2023
Valentan said that in addition to empowering workers such as Rodríguez, Radio Jornalera’s mission is to erase common prejudices against day laborers, who often are caricatured as low-skilled, unreliable migrants illegally in the United States.
—Selene Rivera, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
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Noun
This sounded almost like a caricature of a conservative Catholic church, but Tucker saw it, like the school, as a place for her family.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Because Cooper is not a Jew himself, dissenters opined, accentuating his schnoz was an act of crude caricature.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2023
Certainly, more so than in the past, people have drawn ideological caricatures of various brands and make decisions based on that.
—David Marchese David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2023
To some, Cooper’s nose in the trailer seemed like the kind of outsized caricature that has been a regular feature of Jewish portrayals throughout film history.
—Jake Coyle, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2023
And every crowd has their caricatures and kind of gets kind of represented by the kind of the goofiness of that.
—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
However, instead of analyzing Richard’s psyche, these choices allow both figures to become caricatures driven solely by greed and immorality.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Aug. 2023
Other than the quintessential high school bully Biff, who’s like Shrek’s evil twin, the villains in the Back to the Future movie were Libyan terrorists, depicted as Middle Eastern caricatures in a VW van who seek revenge on Doc for bilking them out of their plutonium.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2023
In contrast to his mentor, Castelli, he has been seen as more of a collector’s dealer than an artist’s dealer—a view that Gagosian considers a caricature.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023
Verb
Moreover, what do the businessmen caricatured in the film think?
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
With no facts to support this assertion, Kenyon resorts to caricature.
—Olivia Gentile, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2023
There’ll be festival fun including games, stilt walkers and caricature artists, plus food trucks and pop-up bars throughout the park.
—Norma Cavazos, Dallas News, 28 June 2023
So inside and outside the establishment, Altman perfectly caricatures the ultimate national power struggle.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2023
The human body, dissected and caricatured, is the basis of Yashnyk’s work.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 9 June 2023
Over the phone, Filliozat rejected the idea that she was driven by greed and accused Goldman of caricaturing her work.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Free For more information, visit https://www.discoverwauwatosa.com/event/firefly-art-fair-3/ Art & Chalk Fest in West Bend What: Chalk artists creating large-scale works of chalk art, a glass-blowing demo in a mobile hot shop, caricature artists and demonstrations of clay sculpting.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 16 June 2023
Valentan said that in addition to empowering workers such as Rodríguez, Radio Jornalera’s mission is to erase common prejudices against day laborers, who often are caricatured as low-skilled, unreliable migrants illegally in the United States.
—Selene Rivera, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caricature.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing caricature
Dictionary Entries Near caricature
Cite this Entry
“Caricature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caricature. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
caricature
1 of 2 noun
car·i·ca·ture
ˈkar-i-kə-ˌchu̇(ə)r
-ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r
1
: exaggeration of the actions, parts, or features of someone or something usually for comic or satirical effect
2
: something (as a drawing) produced by using caricature
3
: something that seems like a caricature
caricature
2 of 2 verb
caricatured; caricaturing
: to make or draw a caricature of
caricaturist
noun
-ˌchu̇r-əst
-ˌt(y)u̇r-əst
More from Merriam-Webster on caricature
Nglish: Translation of caricature for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of caricature for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about caricature
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