cartoonish

British  

/ ˌkɑːˈtuːnɪʃ /

adjective

1. like a cartoon, esp in being one-dimensional, brightly coloured, or exaggerated

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Explanation

Something cartoonish is exaggerated and overly simplified, like your cartoonish drawing of a cat or a cartoonish movie villain. This adjective can mean "like a cartoon," as in the simple, unrealistic illustrations in a kid's book. It also describes things that are over-the-top and a bit silly: "Their cartoonish makeup looked fine onstage, but it's too much up close!" If the bad guy in a film grins evilly and twirls his mustache, most viewers will find him a little cartoonish. The word comes from cartoon, originally "a drawing on strong paper," from a root meaning "heavy paper."

Example Sentences

Moody had made his name as an anticorruption crusader during his tenure as the state’s attorney general: Borger’s cartoonish governmental lawlessness struck him as both a political liability and a moral affront.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Lifelike meme videos have also been used to depict fictional Iranian military victories and even the strategic Strait of Hormuz reimagined as a cartoonish toll booth.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Are the Lomans meant to be Irish immigrants or is that a Boston dialect that is being affected when the cartoonish New Yorkese takes a breather?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

People either love the sitcom’s cartoonish flourishes or despise them.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

Dee sings, high-pitched and with plenty of extra cartoonish vibrato.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King