travesty

[ trav-uh-stee ]

noun

, plural trav·es·ties.

1. a grotesque or debased likeness or imitation:

   a travesty of justice.

   Synonyms: distortion, sham, perversion, mockery

2. a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject, characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity of style, treatment, or subject matter.
3. a literary or artistic composition so inferior in quality as to be merely a grotesque imitation of its model.

verb (used with object)

, trav·es·tied, trav·es·ty·ing.

1. to make a travesty on; turn (a serious work or subject) to ridicule by burlesquing.
2. to imitate grotesquely or absurdly.

travesty

/ ˈtrævɪstɪ /

noun

1. a farcical or grotesque imitation; mockery; parody

verb

1. tr to make or be a travesty of

Other Words From

• un·traves·tied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of travesty¹

1655–65; < French travesti, past participle of travestir “to disguise” < Italian travestire, equivalent to tra- (< Latin trāns- trans- ) + vestire “to clothe” < Latin vestīre; vest

Word History and Origins

Origin of travesty¹

C17: from French travesti disguised, from travestir to disguise, from Italian travestire , from tra- trans- + vestire to clothe

Synonym Study

See burlesque.

Example Sentences

It’s a travesty that 710 Indigenous girls and women have disappeared between 2011 and 2020 and also suffered the fate of anonymity.

From The Daily Beast

By choosing to fight on two fronts—one of them an ill-conceived travesty—we set ourselves up for failure on both.

From Time

I love my students and respect my colleagues, and have been part of the community’s efforts, still incomplete, to make reparations for that travesty.

From Washington Post

That this dynamic landscape could at once be so powerful and so fragile left me wondering what other natural travesties might occur if we fail to slow our planet’s warming.

From Outside Online

At the series’ end, Peck asks if it’s knowledge that we lack — if ignorance is what accounts for the travesties of history.

From Vox

To connoisseurs of smoked fish such confusion would be a travesty.

From The Daily Beast

Such travesty haunts the collective imagination, reflecting myth, history and politics.

From The Daily Beast

Then there was that 80-14 travesty against Idaho, a team that won just one out of eleven games all season.

From The Daily Beast

One of the defense attorneys for Zimmerman said he was glad the outcome did not turn a tragedy into travesty.

From The Daily Beast

As happy as I am for George Zimmerman, I'm thrilled that this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty.

From The Daily Beast

The sailor, after the manner so often dwelt upon, is keeping up a pleasing travesty of sea-faring life.

From Project Gutenberg

My travesty of Plato was intended to illustrate the difficulty of close reasoning on such topics.

From Project Gutenberg

Though the proceedings had been a travesty of justice, they had been invested hitherto with a scenic stateliness.

From Project Gutenberg

She may, indeed, have been a mere travesty, though the hypothesis would be anything but free from difficulty.

From Project Gutenberg

The Franco-Prussian War was in progress, and this travesty was particularly timely.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• burlesque
• distortion
• exaggeration
• farce
• mockery
• perversion
• satire
• sham

More About Travesty

What does travesty mean?

A travesty is something that imitates something else but in a gross or ridiculous manner.

A travesty is also a literary or other artistic work that is a grotesque example of the art form it models.

To travesty means to imitate absurdly or to parody a serious artwork.

Example: The movie was an absolute travesty of the events that actually took place.

Where does travesty come from?

The first records of the term travesty come from around 1655. It ultimately comes from the Italian travestire, meaning “to disguise” or “to change dress.” A travesty almost always describes something as being a fake or bad imitation.

A travesty is an imitation of a work of art, but it can also describe the imitation of other things, such as a ritual, event, or historical speech or action. Often, travesty is used to describe something that is not necessarily a direct imitation. For example, when someone believes that a song is not good, they may say that it is a travesty to the genre, meaning “it hardly represents the genre.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to travesty?

• untravestied (adjective)

What are some synonyms for travesty?

• spoof
• ridicule
• distortion
• exaggeration
• farce
• mockery

What are some words that share a root or word element with travesty? 

• vest

What are some words that often get used in discussing travesty?

• fake
• satire
• substitution
• mimic
• mock

What are some words travesty may be commonly confused with?

• tragedy
• catastrophe

How is travesty used in real life?

Travesty is normally used to refer to something the speaker dislikes.

Wow, woke up to 3 Grammy nominations!! Though it’s a travesty @BTS_twt didn’t get one. That was more deserved than ever this year!

— DJ Swivel (@djswivel) November 20, 2019

can't believe i consumed zero avocados yesterday what an absolute travesty how unpatriotic of me what a disgrace i am

— 🔴Live ttv/tytyoakley | (@tyleroakley) February 8, 2016

The real travesty is where is the shine for #BBHMMVideo when VMA eligibility period was 7/7/14-7/1/15 & that gem dropped 7/1… @MTV

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 22, 2015

 

 

Try using travesty!

Is travesty used correctly in the following sentence?

With the school principal supporting one of the candidates for student council president, the election was a travesty.