1
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
that TV network's reporting is a mere caricature of real journalism
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spoof
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
the artist creates caricatures of famous paintings by replacing humans with cats
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3
as in exaggeration
the representation of something in terms that go beyond the facts
the mayor has presented only a caricature of his opponent's views
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to parody
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
caricatured the supervisor's distinctive walk
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of caricature
Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Too often issues are nationalized where people begin to argue with strangers, which can lead people using caricatures to oversimplify complex problems.
—Dj Simmons, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 25 Mar. 2026
As for the religious dimension, it’s questioned but not caricatured.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for caricature
Noun
And fortunately, Erik Bork, the director of that film, really wanted to check his own biases and echo chambers and invited us and others to help advise him on the script and to ensure that the script itself is not painting a caricature of the characters.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Too often issues are nationalized where people begin to argue with strangers, which can lead people using caricatures to oversimplify complex problems.
—Dj Simmons, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
Verb
Advertisement Commandment 9—Sultan of insult: Reducing complexity to simplicity
As a master of the insensitive insult, Trump strips complex adversaries down to simple, mocking caricatures, often grounded in some shred of truth, however exaggerated and caricatured.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 25 Mar. 2026
As for the religious dimension, it’s questioned but not caricatured.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for caricature
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caricature
Noun
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Ru’s previous movies, like her blaxploitation parody series Starrbooty, are entertainingly low-budget ridiculousness but not worth paying to see on the big screen.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
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For Entertainment Weekly's Scary Movie cover story, the returning protagonist of the first four entries in the horror parody franchise broke down all the films that co-creators and co-writers Shawn and Marlon Wayans set Faris up to knock down in the latest.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The spoof specifically references the franchise's famously creepy smile in several scenes and photos.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
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Based on the Apple TV series, the fizzy throwback spoofs Golden Age musicals, and follows an on-the-rocks couple who are trapped in a town where people sing and dance incessantly.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Height exaggeration is one of the oldest and most well-documented forms of self-inflation.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
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There are a number of driving forces behind this excited exaggeration.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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One attack ad mocked Ossoff for playful college-era behavior.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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On the national team’s social media accounts, many commenters mocked them for big defeats.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Despite all of the excellent jokes, ultimately Night Night Fawn can be nothing other than a tragedy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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In casual conversation, it’s treated as a biological footnote, something between a quirk and a joke.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Federal agents training alongside UFC fighters, a title contender working out inside FBI headquarters and a UFC event on White House grounds would have sounded like satire just a few years ago.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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In this section, artists Wendy Red Star, Omar Victor Diop, Yuki Kihara, Frida Orupabo, and Dimakatso Mathopa mine the tropes and cliches borne of these images, and through satire and recontextualization, offer works that center their own empowerment and subjectivity.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Their penchant for straight, snarled hair continued well into the late 2010s, though the coloring didn’t stay the same.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
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Big Dog Ranch Rescue said that because of the similar coloring and the condition of the remains, the organization believed the dog was Omelette.—
Gershon Harrell,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The undulating roofline imitates the Allegheny Mountains, and 38 steel columns create a canopy reminiscent of the region's forests, Prix Versailles says.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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As a 7-year-old, I’d entertain my father’s friends, at their weekly pickup game at a Bronx barn-house gymnasium, by imitating his game face—bottom lip jutting, eyes scowling.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Caricature.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caricature. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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