1
as in spoofs
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
the musical is a parody of every biblical epic ever made
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in jokes
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
the young man sported a feeble parody of a mustache in a vain attempt to make himself look older
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in mocks
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
parodying a public figure's distinctive mannerisms takes particular talent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parodies
Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Human artists have designed creative parodies of AI slop, but AI lacks the necessary self-awareness to parody itself, even with a human behind the wheel.
—Cath Virginia, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
How did Jane Lynch wind up in the YouTube ad parodies?
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Countless memes and parodies have circulated online.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
There have been countless parodies of the mega-viral ad and lots of unofficial merch created in its honor.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Mar. 2026
Martin’s dry, precise mischief colliding with Short’s elastic characters and musical parodies, plus top-tier musicianship.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 10 Feb. 2026
The Democrats circa 2026 have almost become tax-and-spend parodies of themselves.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
O’Hara’s celebrity parodies for SCTV included Brooke Shields, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, Morgan Fairchild and gossip columnist Rona Barrett.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Alexander Durie, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.
—Adriana Gomez Licon, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
One of the videos adorably parodies the premiere episode with Katar and Sokka discovering Aang and battling Zuko and the Fire Nation.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Oct. 2025
For the social media stars — whose content parodies their real lives through comedic skits — the new baby will also present an opportunity for new kinds of videos.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
South Park’s Eric Cartman parodies Kirk in the episode by asking a college student a question, referencing Kirk’s viral debates on college campuses.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
While the show featured many of the same characters, its format strayed from the sci-fi space narrative of Spaceballs and instead was a series of parodies, each episode serving as a satirical commentary on several contemporary hits, such as Lord of the Rings, American Idol and Harry Potter.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Human artists have designed creative parodies of AI slop, but AI lacks the necessary self-awareness to parody itself, even with a human behind the wheel.
—Cath Virginia, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
How did Jane Lynch wind up in the YouTube ad parodies?
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Countless memes and parodies have circulated online.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
There have been countless parodies of the mega-viral ad and lots of unofficial merch created in its honor.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Mar. 2026
Martin’s dry, precise mischief colliding with Short’s elastic characters and musical parodies, plus top-tier musicianship.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 10 Feb. 2026
The Democrats circa 2026 have almost become tax-and-spend parodies of themselves.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
O’Hara’s celebrity parodies for SCTV included Brooke Shields, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, Morgan Fairchild and gossip columnist Rona Barrett.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Ben Hania’s film before that, 2020’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin, parodies the art world’s fetishization of refugees.
—Alexander Durie, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.
—Adriana Gomez Licon, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
One of the videos adorably parodies the premiere episode with Katar and Sokka discovering Aang and battling Zuko and the Fire Nation.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Oct. 2025
For the social media stars — whose content parodies their real lives through comedic skits — the new baby will also present an opportunity for new kinds of videos.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
South Park’s Eric Cartman parodies Kirk in the episode by asking a college student a question, referencing Kirk’s viral debates on college campuses.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parodies
Noun
-
Retro Rewind players run a Blockbuster Video-like movie-rental store set in the early 1990s, complete with spoofs of real blockbusters of the era.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Way better than dusty game show and dinner party spoofs.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The pages restate themes and jokes, the same words on many pages, each with little iterations.—
Adam Moss,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In an odd twist, ESPN’s Matt Miller mocks Joly to Denver with the 111th pick — which is the fourth-rounder that Miami dealt to the Broncos in the Jaylen Waddle deal that netted the Dolphins picks in the first, third and fourth rounds.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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This seems like a reach, but many mocks now have Cooper, previously considered a second-round pick, going to the Jets in the middle of the first round.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Filmmakers have used the Civil War as a setting for many decades now, inspiring stories of epic military battles, romantic melodramas, and even satires, from sweeping Best Picture winners like Gone With the Wind (1939) to revisionist Westerns like Django Unchained (2012).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
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The role demands charisma, vocal chops, and sharp comedic timing, all deployed within one of the most cynical satires in the musical theater canon.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The other women in the friends’ lives — primarily their mothers — don’t fare much better and are reduced to near-caricatures.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
And in mainstream television, Latinos are very often caricatures.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Aristotle said that art imitates nature (ars imitatur naturam), and for centuries, many artists sought to imitate their subjects as realistically as possible.—
Andrey Mir,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Whether or not life imitates art remains to be seen.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Because the images rotate at a screen-saver pace, my advice would be to focus on the preparatory drawings and cartoons, which are like sparks thrown off some great, beautiful machine.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Quiñones often took inspiration from cartoons and comic books, painting dragons or, most famously, Howard the Duck.—
Paula Aceves,
Curbed,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Iran also churns out massive numbers of drones, as does Russia.—
Trudy Rubin,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Borrowers who leave a program with unresolved balances should act quickly, understand their rights and, if needed, pursue additional relief before a creditor does.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parodies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parodies. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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