1
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
rigged from the start, his trial was a travesty of justice
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spoof
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
the big-screen version of the classic sitcom is actually a good-natured travesty of the TV series
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as in to parody
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
this comedy sketch mindlessly travesties the hard work of relief workers around the world
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Recent Examples of travesty
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
The real travesty won’t be that Moore lost this year’s Best Actress deathmatch.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
The New Republic, 22 June 2023
Readers may be tempted to side at one moment with the defenders of Jewish caution and Jewish sentiment, however their instincts are travestied, and soon afterward with Zuckerman’s principled view of the autonomy of art.
—Cynthia Ozick, WSJ, 25 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for travesty
Noun
What is happening today in Washington is a travesty.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
The real travesty won’t be that Moore lost this year’s Best Actress deathmatch.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
In 1933, the Marx Brothers mocked dictatorship with Duck Soup; three decades later, Kubrick and writer Terry Southern travestied the Bomb.
—The New Republic, 22 June 2023
Readers may be tempted to side at one moment with the defenders of Jewish caution and Jewish sentiment, however their instincts are travestied, and soon afterward with Zuckerman’s principled view of the autonomy of art.
—Cynthia Ozick, WSJ, 25 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for travesty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travesty
Noun
-
There are plenty of weird conspiracies on TikTok about Beyoncé, both satirical and sincere, and the Zendaya big hat meme is a parody of an unhinged conspiracy theory.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
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Wood wasn't the only person to address the SNL parody of The White Lotus, with SNL cast member Bowen Yang speaking about the incident in an interview with Extra.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
6 May 2025
Noun
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Most now proactively educate their customers on how to spot a scam, which personal information to never give out and what to do with a spoof email.—
Lauren Crystal,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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On the schedule is shooting an AMP spoof of Storage Wars, as well as AMP Jeopardy.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2025
Verb
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Read: The attack on trans rights won’t end there The impossible becoming possible is a hard thing to process—and easier to reject or mock than to understand.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
-
Film director Wes Anderson mocked President Donald Trump over his plan to slap tariffs on foreign films made outside of the United States.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Nikki Glaser applauds Joan’s candor about aging and plastic surgery, and Aubrey Plaza retires Joan’s not-so-politically-correct jokes.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
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The gimmick of the game show is interesting, though the prize money is a joke.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Christians are to imitate Christ, the true Good Samaritan, called to view all as nothing less than kin in sin and in the promise of salvation.—
Anna Rowlands,
Time,
12 May 2025
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Volunteers rappelled from the top of a building as sirens went off and firecrackers erupted — apparently to imitate shelling in one drill in the Indian port city of Mumbai.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Many of those loud and wrong critics are the usual suspects: conservatives who also believe diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are unnecessary and racist trolls who have used AI to turn the statue into a racist caricature.—
Taryn Finley,
Refinery29,
14 May 2025
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Honey Boo Boo makes small, fleeting appearances throughout her interview for this week's cover story — a giggle here, a slight neck roll there — but Alana, now a 19-year-old college student at Regis University in Colorado, is no longer a caricature of her own making.—
Janine Rubenstein,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Verb
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Like the Kearns have done, families could split into different rooms, as well, depending on the age of their children.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
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But no team has won a repeat title since 2018, and no defending champion has made it past the second round since the Warriors did it in 2019.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 May 2025
Noun
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The set features an all-over stitched diamond pattern with neatly finished edges, curved corners, and matching shams for a cohesive look.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
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Your order wouldn’t be complete without matching shams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travesty. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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