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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
The midterms will give the American voter the opportunity to end this travesty of justice.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
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
The most surprising couple to reconcile is the travesty formerly known as Larl.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
The midterms will give the American voter the opportunity to end this travesty of justice.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for travesty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travesty
Noun
-
The ebullient parody’s obvious antecedent is Airplane!—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Federal law protects certain uses of a celebrity’s image and likeness in cases involving parody, criticism, commentary and news reporting.—
Daryl Lim,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Prior to his work on Valerie, Storm hopped over to feature films to direct the vampire movie spoof Once Bitten, which starred the then-up-and-coming actor Jim Carrey opposite Lauren Hutton.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
There would be more scripted and carefully choreographed moments in his TV spots for Calvin Klein jeans and Obsession, collaborations with the writer Doon Arbus (daughter of Diane and Allan Arbus) that took chances (and which, for some viewers, are inseparable from memorable spoofs on SNL).—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
-
That staffer was later fired by Collins after posting a social media comment on behalf of the Collins campaign mocking a woman who attempted suicide after accusing Matt Lauer of rape.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
And yet, Chisholm’s chat with Fallon sparked some jokes and blowback after the host asked the colorful character what the Yankees’ ultimate goal is this season.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
The majority of the jokes come off as more asserted than delighted.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
In a case of life imitating art, this whodunnit explores the investigation behind her disappearance, strangely resembling one of Christie’s own novels, where everyone in her life becomes a suspect, including her brother, Monty (Trevena).—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
Naturalistic plantings like these use large swaths of the same plants to imitate a natural setting.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
That distinction matters because the caricature of the intelligent overthinker is often wrong.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
This was the man, not the caricature that Red Wings rivalry often framed him as.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Rather than attacking all rapidly growing cells, as chemotherapy does, the drug targets a key cancer-driving pathway known as KRAS, which is involved in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
-
Ionic liquids are essentially salts that stay in liquid form even in the vacuum of space, which very few materials can do.—
Omar Kardoudi
June 05,
New Atlas,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
The controversial $500,000 portion of PFAS money allocation scheme is a sham and undermines the public trust (Tamarac finds a $500,000 slush fund, editorial, May 21).—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
-
This quilt and shams set is reversible, lightweight, high-quality, and breathable.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Travesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travesty. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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