Synonyms of travesty

travesty 1 of 2

noun

ˈtra-və-stē 

1

as in parody

a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something

rigged from the start, his trial was a travesty of justice

Synonyms & Similar Words

• parody
• joke
• caricature
• sham
• farce
• cartoon
• mockery
• hoax
• comedy
• simulation
• burlesque
• forgery
• pretense
• takeoff
• counterfeit
• lampoon
• fake
• phony
• knockoff
• feigning
• humbug

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tribute
• homage

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• parody
• spoof
• satire
• caricature
• burlesque
• takeoff
• imitation
• rib
• send-up
• farce
• distortion
• comedy
• mockery
• sketch
• exaggeration
• put-on
• lampoon
• impersonation
• humor
• slapstick
• squib
• mimicking

travesty

2 of 2

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• parody
• mock
• imitate
• do
• caricature
• spoof
• burlesque
• mimic
• send up
• play
• ridicule
• emulate
• sham
• perform
• reproduce
• simulate
• pretend
• satirize
• deride
• act
• lampoon
• duplicate
• ape
• parrot
• play up
• replicate
• monkey
• pasquinade
• pad
• stretch
• enhance
• gibe
• feign
• pantomime
• elaborate
• exaggerate
• counterfeit
• fake
• flesh (out)
• enlarge (on or upon)
• copycat
• dissemble
• personate
• overstate
• put on
• embellish
• mime
• magnify
• amplify
• expand
• overdraw
• embroider
• impersonate

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun travesty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of travesty are burlesque, caricature, and parody. While all these words mean "a comic or grotesque imitation," travesty implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd.

this production is a travesty of the opera

When could burlesque be used to replace travesty?

The words burlesque and travesty 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

Where would caricature be a reasonable alternative to travesty?

While the synonyms caricature and travesty are close in meaning, caricature implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject.

caricatures of politicians in cartoons

When would parody be a good substitute for travesty?

The words parody and travesty can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of travesty

Noun

There are still Basquiat doubters who think that’s a travesty. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 June 2026

The first rooms of MoMA’s Marcel Duchamp retrospective almost dare the visitor to find in his early paintings some hint of the artist’s future travesty of those mediums. — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026

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