1
as in parodies
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 spoofs
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 exaggerations
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 mocks
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 caricatures
Nelly Klos
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Here, Köhler avoids the temptation to make caricatures out of either the fiery journalists or the defensive cast and crew.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025
Kimmel, like Stephen Colbert, went from acting as boorish right-wing caricatures to playing themselves — that is, liberals who dislike Trump and support vaccines.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The characters are turning into caricatures — especially Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The same red flannel was often featured in caricatures of Mammy.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The rapport between these two veteran actors turn what could have been seriously dodgy caricatures into a first-rate double act — think Abbott and Costello with sidecurls and silencers.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
The Sex Lives of College Girls took an honorable stab, but the characters can feel like caricatures.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025
In interviews with more than 30 lawmakers, political figures, supporters, friends, and critics, Mamdani emerges as both more interesting and more complicated than the caricatures suggest.
—Mark Chiusano, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
The characters are bright, marionette-like caricatures whom the author constructs and moves ostentatiously in full view of the reader, revealing his artistic devices with a sense of absurd, mischievous humor.
—Nelly Klos
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Here, Köhler avoids the temptation to make caricatures out of either the fiery journalists or the defensive cast and crew.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025
Kimmel, like Stephen Colbert, went from acting as boorish right-wing caricatures to playing themselves — that is, liberals who dislike Trump and support vaccines.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The characters are turning into caricatures — especially Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The same red flannel was often featured in caricatures of Mammy.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The rapport between these two veteran actors turn what could have been seriously dodgy caricatures into a first-rate double act — think Abbott and Costello with sidecurls and silencers.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
The Sex Lives of College Girls took an honorable stab, but the characters can feel like caricatures.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025
In interviews with more than 30 lawmakers, political figures, supporters, friends, and critics, Mamdani emerges as both more interesting and more complicated than the caricatures suggest.
—Mark Chiusano, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caricatures
Noun
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The moment — delivered by Steinfeld’s character Mary on a humid New Orleans train platform — was clipped, memed and replayed across TikTok, igniting think pieces and parodies alike.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Free speech covers the jokes, the satire, the parodies—even the dumb, crass, or offensive ones.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Today, Neeson is doing action spoofs (thank God), and even the John Wick series has run its course.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Despite the mess in her apartment, the man, like everyone else in her life, brushes off her fears as the exaggerations of an overactive imagination.—
Marya E. Gates,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In the Coen brothers’ films, wondrous coincidences and absurd exaggerations come off as a comic cosmic order, as a cynical version of metaphysics.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Elon Musk wades back into UK politics, backs leader of new right-wing party, mocks rival.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Student imitates Charlie Kirk's death and mocks him, goes up to statue where TPUSA members are and imitates his death again, and spits near them.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
From jokes about his resemblance to former NBA star Delonté West to comments about the cover hurting the album’s streams, Thug’s provocative art, for the first time, landed flat.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Hill, however, appeared to be in high spirits as he was shuttled off the field, apparently cracking jokes about the state of his leg.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Pajama sets also abounded, from immediate renditions in pink poplin with contrasting piping to less literal interpretations, such as a turquoise version with scalloped hems and embroideries.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
-
In fact, the outing displayed an exploration of embellishment for Hudson as several styles featured intricate embroideries.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If art imitates life, then One Battle After Another is an apt reflection of our absurd times.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Student imitates Charlie Kirk's death and mocks him, goes up to statue where TPUSA members are and imitates his death again, and spits near them.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Johnson put the toy/comics/cartoons franchise on his large shoulders playing the machine-gunning Cobra hater.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Without acknowledging it, this bookstore is a synthesis of every experiment in children’s literature from Babar the Elephant and the Pere Castor series in France to Mickey Mouse and cartoons in the United States, via innovative graphic design in Czechoslovakia and Russia in the interwar period.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Caricatures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caricatures. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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