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
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
Lawsuits ensued as well as a very good documentary, The Art of the Steal, which was made before the new building opened and which made a very compelling argument that doing so was a travesty.
—Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com, 10 July 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
France had claimed the island as a protectorate, in 1842; by the time Gauguin arrived, the bamboo buildings in the capital, Papeete, had been replaced by travesties of brick and iron.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
Lawsuits ensued as well as a very good documentary, The Art of the Steal, which was made before the new building opened and which made a very compelling argument that doing so was a travesty.
—Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com, 10 July 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
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The brothers are reuniting for the first time in 18 years to write an original script for the restart of the horror parody franchise, writing and producing the movie alongside Rick Alvarez.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
15 Aug. 2025
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The back and forth began on Tuesday, Aug. 12, after the parody account shared a picture previously posted by Beckham Jr. on Instagram of him and his son, Zydn Beckham, sitting outside MetLife Stadium.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The spoof came shortly after Perry, 40, and Trudeau, 53, were spotted together on multiple occasions in late July, including dining out in Montreal and walking a dog through Mount Royal Park.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
3 Aug. 2025
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The movie is a spoof of both 1950s sci-fi B movies and the experience of watching them on late-night TV.—
Meg Pillow
July 31,
Literary Hub,
31 July 2025
Verb
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Protestors were seen holding banners and placards expressing their frustration about Vance and the wider U.S. administration, as well as mocking the vice president.—
Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
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The event’s host, the actress Florence Foresti, openly mocked the movie’s prominence there.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Following Colbert’s ongoing jokes at the president’s expense, Trump has celebrated the talk show’s demise.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
17 Aug. 2025
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Take the verdant Monsieur Chic from designer Brett Johnson’s debut trio of parfums, named after a running joke his late wife, Sarah, would deploy when he got dressed up for date nights.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Although Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis had a cutthroat rivalry in Black Swan, life did not imitate art for the actresses, despite Darren Aronofsky‘s best attempts.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
15 Aug. 2025
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The fake pool has been designed to imitate the uppermost twenty feet of the real one as closely as possible, down to the contours of its sides, which are made not from rock but from plastic foam sealed with fibreglass.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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After a couple of insulting caricatures, increasingly bizarre depictions of the Vice President started to spread through the internet, the trend becoming a competition to see who could create the most hideous, weird or original Vance.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Rather than rely on simplistic caricature, Jude tells this story of Eastern European economic expansion, berserk nationalism, and the inability to create meaningful change with crushing relatability.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In 2024-2025 the lodge stayed open for the winter, doing events like winemaker dinners.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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Russia has a 50-year goal, to re-unite parts of the old Soviet Union; Ukraine has a more immediate goal, to stop the war and not give up any territory to do so.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Flores also contends his Texans’ interview was a sham.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The quilt set comes with two matching shams and is 50% off in two sizes, but is selling fast.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travesty. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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