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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cartoons
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
In the grand tradition of other kid-friendly cartoons, each episode contains two short stories.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Dogs and cats are often portrayed as natural enemies in films, cartoons and even everyday folklore—but Nova the pit bull and her orange-tabby companion clearly never got the memo.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Last year the park swung open the doors to equally ingenious fairytale rides themed to the Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan cartoons.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Sixty-five percent of respondents in low-income countries were exposed to them, too, including at school, on social media, at sporting events and in cartoons.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Uncle Sam didn’t become a popular figure in the culture with cartoons and illustrations until after the War of 1812.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
Everything from news about a deadly stampede to cartoons that lampoon Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been the subject of removal orders.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Niedenthal’s photo of a cinema playing ‘Apocalypse Now’ while the apocalypse is happening on the streets, the carp in the bathtub, the girl who wants to watch cartoons in the morning but [political leader] General Jaruzelski is on TV.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Then there's Sesame Street and Saturday morning cartoons.
—Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
In the grand tradition of other kid-friendly cartoons, each episode contains two short stories.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Dogs and cats are often portrayed as natural enemies in films, cartoons and even everyday folklore—but Nova the pit bull and her orange-tabby companion clearly never got the memo.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Last year the park swung open the doors to equally ingenious fairytale rides themed to the Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan cartoons.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Sixty-five percent of respondents in low-income countries were exposed to them, too, including at school, on social media, at sporting events and in cartoons.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Uncle Sam didn’t become a popular figure in the culture with cartoons and illustrations until after the War of 1812.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
Everything from news about a deadly stampede to cartoons that lampoon Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been the subject of removal orders.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Niedenthal’s photo of a cinema playing ‘Apocalypse Now’ while the apocalypse is happening on the streets, the carp in the bathtub, the girl who wants to watch cartoons in the morning but [political leader] General Jaruzelski is on TV.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cartoons
Noun
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Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.—
Jay Cannon,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, the operations supervisor in the tower was focused on trying to fix a printer which prints strips of paper with flight information and had jammed.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
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Along with its main collection that included the introduction of the new Maro geometric bag with loose napa leather strips knotted on the sides, Serapian displayed iterations of its iconic styles revisited by British designer Bethan Laura Wood.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
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
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Free speech covers the jokes, the satire, the parodies—even the dumb, crass, or offensive ones.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The second weekend of the season brings a guest appearance by Elfman at a concert dedicated to his music for the films of Tim Burton enhanced by visuals of original sketches and drawings from the films.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
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Strachan pictures the multi-colored gemstones (less summer, more fall) complementing collarless coats, cashmere crewneck sweaters, and white button-up shirts.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
25 Sep. 2025
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Only the last photo during the end credits pictures the fiery aftermath of Hutch’s ultimate battle with Ladeena.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Projecting his short film and those character portraits was such an interesting concept to start.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
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All in all, Pantzer's keen eye and relationships netted him 38 of the artist's watercolors, 3,000 engravings and seven life portraits, according to Newfields' collection overview.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Cartoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cartoons. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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