car·i·ca·ture
ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r 
-ˌchər,
-ˌtyu̇r,
-ˌtu̇r,
ˈka-ri-
1
: exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics
drew a caricature of the president
2
: a representation especially in literature or art that has the qualities of caricature
His performance in the film was a caricature of a hard-boiled detective.
3
: a distortion so gross as to seem like caricature
The kangaroo court was a caricature of justice.
caricatured; caricaturing
: to make or draw a caricature of : represent in caricature
the portrait caricatured its subject
The comedian caricatured the governor as a pompous know-it-all.
Synonyms
Examples of caricature in a Sentence
Noun
An artist was doing caricatures in the park.
His performance in the film was a caricature of a hard-boiled detective.
The interview made her into a caricature of a struggling artist.
Verb
The press caricatured him as clumsy and forgetful.
caricatured the supervisor's distinctive walk
Recent Examples on the Web
Tik Root, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
But even characters who in a lesser piece would be frozen into caricatures are granted some depth and fluidity, which helps sustain the series over 10 episodes.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The scene, complete with a nearby lemonade table, felt like the most extreme possible caricature of what people who venerate the classics would do for fun.
—Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
And, it can be argued, 1994 was the last really good year before the era started to implode as the labels — and, in some cases, the artists themselves — began to sound like caricatures, trying to strike gold by copying what had worked before.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024
The caricature of a 1950s-style suburban house, in miniature, speaks to something in the American identity that equates being a homeowner with having your own space that’s separating you from others.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2024
The image — also tweeted by Ice Cube — was taken from a notorious London mural featuring antisemitic caricatures of businessmen.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
And Simu Liu plays Leo, a caricature of a social media influencer who, of course, is more about self-promotion than teamwork.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
In fact, Brad is a caricature that serves a cynical take on higher education.
—John M. Crisp, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
Jenelle Riley, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
The slur is among the derogatory terms used to caricature Black people.
—Erin Cox, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Although Gladstone didn’t take home an award, her achievement as the first Native American nominee in her category will understandably be celebrated as a symbol of how far she’s come within a medium built on narratives that chronically caricatured, demonized and humiliated Native Americans.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
In terms of style, the Welfare Queen, like the Mob Wife, is often caricatured as wearing big hair, flashy clothes, and gaudy jewelry.
—Aneliza Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Fearing precisely such a result, officials in Beijing have long tried to caricature Taiwan as slavishly imitating Western forms of governance.
—Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, Zappa’s lyrics scrutinized his then-youthful fan base, caricaturing the counterculture with the cartoonish strokes of a melodic R. Crumb.
—Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2023
The trip was a remarkably gruelling one for any President to make, let alone an eighty-year-old often caricatured by his Republican foes as a doddering octogenarian.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2023
Too often, trust and safety teams get caricatured as partisan scolds and censors.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2023
Noun
Black locusts start to leaf out each spring and become bushy caricatures of a tree within weeks.
—Tik Root, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
But even characters who in a lesser piece would be frozen into caricatures are granted some depth and fluidity, which helps sustain the series over 10 episodes.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The scene, complete with a nearby lemonade table, felt like the most extreme possible caricature of what people who venerate the classics would do for fun.
—Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
And, it can be argued, 1994 was the last really good year before the era started to implode as the labels — and, in some cases, the artists themselves — began to sound like caricatures, trying to strike gold by copying what had worked before.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024
The caricature of a 1950s-style suburban house, in miniature, speaks to something in the American identity that equates being a homeowner with having your own space that’s separating you from others.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2024
The image — also tweeted by Ice Cube — was taken from a notorious London mural featuring antisemitic caricatures of businessmen.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
And Simu Liu plays Leo, a caricature of a social media influencer who, of course, is more about self-promotion than teamwork.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
In fact, Brad is a caricature that serves a cynical take on higher education.
—John M. Crisp, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
Or to give over entirely to caricature, without capturing what’s beneath the surface.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
The slur is among the derogatory terms used to caricature Black people.
—Erin Cox, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Although Gladstone didn’t take home an award, her achievement as the first Native American nominee in her category will understandably be celebrated as a symbol of how far she’s come within a medium built on narratives that chronically caricatured, demonized and humiliated Native Americans.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
In terms of style, the Welfare Queen, like the Mob Wife, is often caricatured as wearing big hair, flashy clothes, and gaudy jewelry.
—Aneliza Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Fearing precisely such a result, officials in Beijing have long tried to caricature Taiwan as slavishly imitating Western forms of governance.
—Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, Zappa’s lyrics scrutinized his then-youthful fan base, caricaturing the counterculture with the cartoonish strokes of a melodic R. Crumb.
—Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2023
The trip was a remarkably gruelling one for any President to make, let alone an eighty-year-old often caricatured by his Republican foes as a doddering octogenarian.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2023
Too often, trust and safety teams get caricatured as partisan scolds and censors.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caricature.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near caricature
Cite this Entry
“Caricature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caricature. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
caricature
1 of 2 noun
car·i·ca·ture
ˈkar-i-kə-ˌchu̇(ə)r
-ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r
1
: exaggeration of the actions, parts, or features of someone or something usually for comic or satirical effect
2
: something (as a drawing) produced by using caricature
3
: something that seems like a caricature
caricature
2 of 2 verb
caricatured; caricaturing
: to make or draw a caricature of
caricaturist
noun
-ˌchu̇r-əst
-ˌt(y)u̇r-əst
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share