parody 1 of 2

1
as in spoof
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 joke
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

parody

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun parody differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of parody are burlesque, caricature, and travesty. While all these words mean "a comic or grotesque imitation," parody applies especially to treatment of a trivial or ludicrous subject in the exactly imitated style of a well-known author or work.

a witty parody of a popular novel

Where would burlesque be a reasonable alternative to parody?

The words burlesque and parody are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, burlesque implies mockery especially through giving a serious or lofty subject a frivolous treatment.

a nightclub burlesque of a trial in court

When is caricature a more appropriate choice than parody?

Although the words caricature and parody have much in common, caricature implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject.

caricatures of politicians in cartoons

When could travesty be used to replace parody?

The synonyms travesty and parody are sometimes interchangeable, but travesty implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd.

this production is a travesty of the opera

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 parody
Noun
But the film has grown an even stronger following in the years since, spawning various memes including parody posters and reaction images. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 June 2025 The original Spaceballs quite explicitly hints at a sequel in a scene between Lone Starr (a parody of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo) and the Yoda-esque character of Yogurt (played by Brooks). Maddie Garfinkle, People.com, 13 June 2025
Verb
The episode became comedic fodder for Dave Chappelle, who went on to parody Combs’ over-the-top behavior. Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 19 May 2025 In recent years, Update has emerged as the most reliable segment in an often-uneven show, as Che and Jost honed their oddball chemistry as an uncaring provocateur paired with a snarky guy willing to parody his own privilege. Eric Deggans, NPR, 18 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for parody
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parody
Noun
  • In The Naked Gun, a sequel-reboot to the crime spoofs of the 1980s and ’90s starring Leslie Nielsen, Anderson plays femme fatale Beth.
    Jack Smart, People.com, 18 June 2025
  • Other people and publications dug the Severance spoof — as of this writing, the Ravens’ reveal video had 9,000 likes on X and nearly 3,000 on YouTube (with 70,000 views).
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • She was raised in a society—a West Indian society—that did not put much of a premium on women’s bodies, where any kind of intimacy was a joke.
    Hilton Als, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • And yet the world is too driven by algorithms, too fragmented in its tastes, to ever be on the same page again and get the same jokes.
    Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Tonally, the show is all over the place, laying on the moody theatrics one moment, mocking Dave’s writerly pretenses the next.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
  • In September 2024, she was mocked online after releasing a single.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • Doing so, Cohn and Duprat return to their hallmark mode of psychological satire, filtered through a customary comedy-drama prism.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 19 June 2025
  • The Office isn’t vicious workplace satire, but this sure is.
    Brian Boone, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Entertainment included two balloon artists from Krys Kreations, two strolling caricature artists from Draw the Crowd and Polynesian and Hawaiian music performed by the Stanley Family Trio from Center for World Music.
    Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2025
  • At a time when transgender people are under attack on many fronts, both the lack of representation and offensive caricatures of trans people cause real harm.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 11 June 2025
Verb
  • But as these systems gained the ability to imitate reasoning, planning, and decision-making among options, emergent behaviors began raising red flags.
    Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Some fireworks transcend the standard pops and booms to imitate a non-fiery object.
    Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Igor Jesus, one of the breakout stars of the Club World Cup, celebrates his goals by imitating a character from a Japanese cartoon.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • Laugh Lines: Test your knowledge of classic New Yorker cartoons. P.S.
    Erin Neil, New Yorker, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • The way to do it is with judicious use of strong contrast colours, and that’s exactly what Nike has done here, with those pinks, blues and reds underneath the armpits and down the side of the shorts.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Accor, which owns the Orient Express brand with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, says a lot of it has to do with the training of its staff and the design, for which award-winning artist and architect Hugo Toro made bespoke Art Deco-era pieces constructed to mirror the group’s train.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Parody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parody. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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