1
as in drawings
a picture using lines to represent the chief features of an object or scene
a political cartoon mocking the state legislature
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in strips
a series of drawings that tell a story or part of a story
reading the cartoons in the Sunday newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in parodies
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
in this biopic the life of a complex man is reduced to a cartoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cartoons
Theo Belci, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The movie is clearly aimed at a certain audience who watched Saturday morning cartoons back in the day and, if their He-Man figure’s arm broke off, would use Faker as their resident Eternian hero.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 June 2026
That is why Amazon’s cartoons are less important as shows than as a signal.
—Maureen Kerr, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
That all emerged following the comic book, the 45 RPM record and Saturday morning cartoons.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 27 May 2026
Created by Max Fleischer in 1930, Betty Boop appeared in more than 100 cartoons during her original run, evolving from a poodle-like nightclub singer into the fully human Jazz Age icon recognized around the world today.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 20 May 2026
In part, this was because Riley, who is fifty-five, wore a gargantuan, lumpy tomato-red felt hat with a wide brim, like the cowboy hat worn by Quick Draw McGraw in the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Before then, the closest Churchill had come to art was an affection for cartoons.
—Air Mail, 16 May 2026
Hank Kennedy chronicles the Nazi war on cartoons.
—Literary Hub, 9 May 2026
Noun
Americans of Kokopeli’s vintage are old enough to remember TV-watching as restricted by the times shows went on-air, by the channels their parents paid for, and by the public service announcements they were forced to get through during morning cartoons.
—Theo Belci, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The movie is clearly aimed at a certain audience who watched Saturday morning cartoons back in the day and, if their He-Man figure’s arm broke off, would use Faker as their resident Eternian hero.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 June 2026
That is why Amazon’s cartoons are less important as shows than as a signal.
—Maureen Kerr, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
That all emerged following the comic book, the 45 RPM record and Saturday morning cartoons.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 27 May 2026
Created by Max Fleischer in 1930, Betty Boop appeared in more than 100 cartoons during her original run, evolving from a poodle-like nightclub singer into the fully human Jazz Age icon recognized around the world today.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 20 May 2026
In part, this was because Riley, who is fifty-five, wore a gargantuan, lumpy tomato-red felt hat with a wide brim, like the cowboy hat worn by Quick Draw McGraw in the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Before then, the closest Churchill had come to art was an affection for cartoons.
—Air Mail, 16 May 2026
Hank Kennedy chronicles the Nazi war on cartoons.
—Literary Hub, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cartoons
Noun
-
Displays show campaign ephemera and memorabilia, from Shepard Fairey’s iconic HOPE poster to children’s drawings.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
For almost a decade, the company headed by Elon Musk has been trying to fend off allegations that the assembly line in Tesla’s Fremont plant was a hostile work environment filled with racist slurs, graffiti and drawings of nooses and swastikas.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The strips are piled high in plastic bins, sprawled over tables and fed underneath bobbing needles.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
-
Woven into the headboard are colorful red, gold and green leather strips based on Kente cloth from Boateng’s studio.—
Mary Wenthur,
Footwear News,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Its various iterations have managed to hold viewers' attention in the years since (the 2009 sibling version inspired a slew of parodies and fan fiction).—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
20 May 2026
-
His most viral videos include skits about dueling Drake and Kendrick Lamar tracks and parodies amplifying more serious lyrical messages in popular party music.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Original concept sketches by the late John Hench, longtime artist and official Disney Legend, gave retro-future vibes and inspiration.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2026
-
The Ambient Experience themes were created from sketches by award-winning illustrator Joey Chou.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
What did that film teach you about the challenge of portraying political differences without turning people into caricatures?—
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
-
The Breadwinner star pictures the destination as the culmination of his career, according to a Wall Street Journal profile published on May 15.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
Miss Manners pictures your guests, looking forward to a pleasant evening with you, being confronted with your suggestions.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The art show paired portraits of animals that exhibit same-sex behaviors, like peacocks and flamingos, and was meant to be a commentary on how queerness has been hidden throughout history, leaving artists to use symbolism to communicate their point of view.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
Some viewers and beginner-painters valued his bare-bones instructions on how to create unchallenging landscape portraits, while still some others undoubtedly enjoyed Ross and his painting lessons for their snark value.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Lowbrow sources such as Sunday funnies, B movies, and advertisements are present but are more diffuse, rarely coalescing into obvious quotation.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cartoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cartoons. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
