1
as in parodies
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
the recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a farce
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in comedies
humorous entertainment
the rubber-faced, loose-jointed comedian is a master of knockabout farce
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of farces
With sparse amounts of slapstick, this staging isn’t the most physical of farces, though Lutz and Enriquez in particular strike some laugh-out-loud poses.
—
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for farces
Noun
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Tiddes gave props to Paramount’s marketing department, which created a string of memes and myriad parodies on social media to lead the masses to Scary Movie.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
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Yankovic has recorded parodies of songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Queen, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Eminem and many others.—
Sean Clancy,
Arkansas Online,
17 June 2026
Noun
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James Burrows was born in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a writer for top radio comedies, but the family soon relocated to New York City.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
19 June 2026
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The Pitt is close to an inevitable winner, especially since the two best new dramas in this category — Pluribus and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — are both absolutely comedies.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Noun
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And of course, every wrapper came with the delightfully terrible jokes.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
22 June 2026
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Creator Alex Hirsch packed the show with enough jokes, pop culture references, and Easter eggs to inspire a cult fandom versed in the mythology of the quirky little town of Gravity Falls.—
Christian Holub,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 June 2026
Noun
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However, Khatima also maintained that the four humors played a role in determining the plague’s course.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates divided the lives of men into only four stages, a number that mirrored the four humors and the four elements.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Kuzovkov, who died of gunshot wounds to the head, chest and back, had painted unflattering caricatures of Putin, Kadyrov and other high-ranking Russian officials.—
Vanessa Gera,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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Can storytelling help move audiences beyond caricatures, outrage, and contempt?—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Farces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/farces. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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