parody

American  

[par-uh-dee] / ˈpær ə di /

noun

plural

parodies

1. a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing.

   his hilarious parody of Hamlet's soliloquy.

2. the genre of literary composition represented by such imitations.

3. a burlesque imitation of a musical composition.

4. any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of a person, event, etc.

5. the use in the 16th century of borrowed material in a musical setting of the Mass parody Mass.

6. a poor or feeble imitation or semblance; travesty.

   His acting is a parody of his past greatness.

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verb (used with object)

parodied, parodying

1. to imitate (a composition, author, etc.) for purposes of ridicule or satire.

2. to imitate poorly or feebly; travesty.

parody British  

/ ˈpærədɪ, pəˈrɒdɪk /

noun

1. a musical, literary, or other composition that mimics the style of another composer, author, etc, in a humorous or satirical way

2. mimicry of someone's individual manner in a humorous or satirical way

3. something so badly done as to seem an intentional mockery; travesty

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verb

1. (tr) to make a parody of

parody Cultural  

1. In art, music, or literature, a satire that mimics the style of its object.

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Related Words

See burlesque.

Other Word Forms

• parodiable adjective
• parodic adjective
• parodist noun
• self-parody noun
• unparodied adjective

Etymology

Origin of parody

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin parōdia, from Greek parōidía “burlesque song or poem”; equivalent to par- + ode + -y ³

Example Sentences

The complaint also argues that Jonasi presented his translation “as authoritative fact, not comedy,” so it shouldn’t get the 1st Amendment protections afforded to parody and satire.

From Los Angeles Times

The “Fruit Love Island” fandom has grown into spinoffs, recap videos, fan accounts and a host of parodies, many of which are also AI-generated.

From The Wall Street Journal

The original vision I had was to do a parody of life in affluent suburbs, but with plenty of reality in it.

From Los Angeles Times

The Traitors parody will see TV personality Vicky Pattison play joint winner Rachel, while DJ Scott Mills will appear as James.

From BBC

That song has had 3.6 million views on YouTube, while another parody track titled Will You Help Me Repair My Door has had more than nine million.

From BBC

Related Words

• burlesque
• caricature
• cartoon
• farce
• irony
• joke
• satire
• skit
• travesty