effigy
Americannoun
-
a representation or image, especially sculptured, as on a monument.
-
a crude representation of someone disliked, used for purposes of ridicule.
idioms
noun
-
a portrait of a person, esp as a monument or architectural decoration
-
a crude representation of someone, used as a focus for contempt or ridicule and often hung up or burnt in public (often in the phrases burn or hang in effigy )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of effigy
1530–40; (< Middle French ) < Latin effigia, equivalent to effig- ( ef- ef- + fig- shape, form; see figure) + -ia -y 3
Explanation
In modern usage, effigy most often refers to a likeness, such as a dummy, that is hanged, burned, or otherwise abused when protesting the despised person's actions. If you've encountered the phrase "in effigy,” it's probably been in a news report about protesters burning a stuffed figure made to look like a loathed corporate leader or head of state. Since the 18th century or longer, effigies have been destroyed in place of individuals who, as far as the angry crowd is concerned, have escaped justice. Effigy can also refer to a sculptural portrait of the deceased reclining upon a burial monument.
Vocabulary lists containing effigy
Lord of the Flies
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Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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Persepolis
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the dunking spawned the legend of the "Curse of the Colonel" that said the Tigers would never win another title until the effigy was recovered.
From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025
True to its name, every structure is temporary as many buildings, along with the effigy, are burned to the ground by the end of the festival.
From Salon • Sep. 2, 2025
Politicians from other parties have also condemned the effigy.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2025
Only the master sculptor who was guiding the tools, the person who planned out the full statue, could step back and see the crude effigy of lies we were making.
From Slate • Dec. 12, 2024
I lay like a still and silent effigy on a tomb in the blackness of Hamlet’s chamber while questions coursed through my brain.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
