plural parodies
1
: a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule
wrote a hilarious parody of a popular song
2
: a feeble or ridiculous imitation
a cheesy parody of a classic western
parodied; parodying
Synonyms
Examples of parody in a Sentence
Noun
He has a talent for writing parodies.
a writer with a talent for parody
Verb
It was easy to parody the book's fancy language.
She parodied her brother's poetry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
The show’s parody featured TBS’ NCAA basketball team of Ernie Johnson (James Austin Johnson), Kenny Smith (Devon Walker) and Charles Barkley (Kenan Thompson), as well as an appearance by LSU coach Kim Mulkey (Heidi Gardner).
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2024
Director-star Vera Drew’s parody is unlike any Batman movie before it.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
Barth frequently explored the relationship between storyteller and audience in parodies and satire.
—Brian Witte, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Musical comedian Randy Rainbow, known for his parodies lampooning politicians, will perform at the Uptown, 7:30 p.m. April 6 ($39.50-$75).
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
An online parody of her original piece has already been posted by the literary magazine McSweeney’s.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
The idea that his act could be a parody of the glad-handing, overly sincere entertainer rather than the thing itself fits both his strengths as an absurdist comic and the tongue-in-cheek times themselves.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
In addition to arriving in New York next month, the DC parody will also screen at Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
It was parodied on Saturday Night Live and now Olivia Rodrigo has shot her own version.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2024
The series held parents’ gaze by parodying zeitgeist-y pieces of pop culture and hosting celebrity guests.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
The best couple ambition with focus, forming the episode's segments as tight mini-movies whose inventiveness extends beyond merely swapping in the show's roster of characters for those of the movies being parodied.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 24 Nov. 2023
Charlton Heston, with whom Franken worked on a 1993 sketch parodying the NRA response to then President Bill Clinton’s signing of the Brady Bill into law (one which would mandate background checks for potential gun owners as well as a five day waiting period).
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
At another booth, dubbed the Palace of the Winds, classical music was parodied with a chorus of live flatulence.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
More recently, the couple stepped into some of the most iconic movie costumes of all time to parody various films while previewing their 2024 Oscars post-show.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Swift popped up to introduce friend and musical guest Ice Spice, but Kelce made a meta appearance in a sketch parodying the NFL’s obsession with — what else?
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 8 Dec. 2023
Noun
But the provision includes a significant exception for uses in historical films, docudramas, satires or parodies.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
The show’s parody featured TBS’ NCAA basketball team of Ernie Johnson (James Austin Johnson), Kenny Smith (Devon Walker) and Charles Barkley (Kenan Thompson), as well as an appearance by LSU coach Kim Mulkey (Heidi Gardner).
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2024
Director-star Vera Drew’s parody is unlike any Batman movie before it.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
Barth frequently explored the relationship between storyteller and audience in parodies and satire.
—Brian Witte, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Musical comedian Randy Rainbow, known for his parodies lampooning politicians, will perform at the Uptown, 7:30 p.m. April 6 ($39.50-$75).
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
An online parody of her original piece has already been posted by the literary magazine McSweeney’s.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
The idea that his act could be a parody of the glad-handing, overly sincere entertainer rather than the thing itself fits both his strengths as an absurdist comic and the tongue-in-cheek times themselves.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
In addition to arriving in New York next month, the DC parody will also screen at Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
The film is filled with characters parodying Batman mainstays — The Penguin, Ra’s al Ghul, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze and many more — adding a superhero dimension to this coming-of-age story.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
It was parodied on Saturday Night Live and now Olivia Rodrigo has shot her own version.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2024
The series held parents’ gaze by parodying zeitgeist-y pieces of pop culture and hosting celebrity guests.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
The best couple ambition with focus, forming the episode's segments as tight mini-movies whose inventiveness extends beyond merely swapping in the show's roster of characters for those of the movies being parodied.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 24 Nov. 2023
Charlton Heston, with whom Franken worked on a 1993 sketch parodying the NRA response to then President Bill Clinton’s signing of the Brady Bill into law (one which would mandate background checks for potential gun owners as well as a five day waiting period).
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
At another booth, dubbed the Palace of the Winds, classical music was parodied with a chorus of live flatulence.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
More recently, the couple stepped into some of the most iconic movie costumes of all time to parody various films while previewing their 2024 Oscars post-show.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Swift popped up to introduce friend and musical guest Ice Spice, but Kelce made a meta appearance in a sketch parodying the NFL’s obsession with — what else?
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 8 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parody.' 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 parody
Dictionary Entries Near parody
Cite this Entry
“Parody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parody. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
parody
noun
par·o·dy
ˈpar-əd-ē
plural parodies
1
: a written or musical work in which the style of an author or work is imitated for comic effect
2
: a poor imitation
parodist
noun
-əd-əst
parody
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on parody
Nglish: Translation of parody for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of parody for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about parody
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