caricature
[kar-i-kuh-cher, -choo r]
- a picture, description, etc., ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things: His caricature of the mayor in this morning's paper is the best he's ever drawn.
- the art or process of producing such pictures, descriptions, etc.
- any imitation or copy so distorted or inferior as to be ludicrous.
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- to make a caricature of; represent in caricature.
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Origin of caricature
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. cartoon. 3. travesty.
Synonym study
1. See burlesque.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for caricature
Contemporary Examples
I enjoyed her as purely a villain, even if she was somewhat of caricature.
Inside ‘Orange Is the New Black’ S2, Eps. 6-12: About That Shocking Incest SceneKevin Fallon, Marlow Stern
June 20, 2014
The Alliance for a Strong America site is like a caricature of what liberals said about Keep America Safe.
I love how blindly optimistic she manages to be, without turning into a caricature.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season 2: The Finest, Funniest, and Most Terrifying Moments of Eps. 1-6Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern
June 12, 2014
No, Anders is not a caricature, and given current attitudes toward wealth, that is a small miracle.
The role of the church is, quite properly, examined, but care has been taken not to caricature what happened.
Historical Examples
Caricature, by the way, is a branch of Georgian Art which M. Rouquet neglects.
De Libris: Prose and VerseAustin Dobson
This caricature of me had just appeared, and had been the delight of idle folks.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
I may not dally on my way, turning to the right and the left for beauty and caricature.
It is something, Eve, though it end in wishes, or even in caricature.
Homeward BoundJames Fenimore Cooper
Let's have the first of it, Let's know the worst of it: Is your face only a caricature?
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 1 (of 2)Harry Furniss
caricature
- a pictorial, written, or acted representation of a person, which exaggerates his characteristic traits for comic effect
- a ludicrously inadequate or inaccurate imitationhe is a caricature of a statesman
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- (tr) to represent in caricature or produce a caricature of
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Word Origin
C18: from Italian caricatura a distortion, exaggeration, from caricare to load, exaggerate; see cargo
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for caricature
n.
1748 (figurative), 1750 (literal), from French caricature (18c.), from Italian caricatura "satirical picture; an exaggeration," literally "an overloading," from caricare "to load, exaggerate," from Vulgar Latin carricare "to load a car" (see charge (v.)). The Italian form had been used in English from 1680s and was common 18c.
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v.
1749, from caricature (n.). Related: Caricatured; caricaturing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
caricature
In art or literature, portrayal of an individual or thing that exaggerates and distorts prominent characteristics so as to make them appear ridiculous. Caricature is commonly a medium for satire.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.