parody
Americannoun
-
parodies
plural
-
a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing.
his hilarious parody of Hamlet's soliloquy.
-
the genre of literary composition represented by such imitations.
-
a burlesque imitation of a musical composition.
-
any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of a person, event, etc.
-
the use in the 16th century of borrowed material in a musical setting of the Mass parody Mass.
-
a poor or feeble imitation or semblance; travesty.
His acting is a parody of his past greatness.
verb (used with object)
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parodies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
parodied,
past participle, past
-
parodying
present participle
-
to imitate (a composition, author, etc.) for purposes of ridicule or satire.
-
to imitate poorly or feebly; travesty.
noun
-
a musical, literary, or other composition that mimics the style of another composer, author, etc, in a humorous or satirical way
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mimicry of someone's individual manner in a humorous or satirical way
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something so badly done as to seem an intentional mockery; travesty
verb
Synonym Usage
See burlesque.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
parodysimple
-
parodiessimple
-
have parodiedperfect
-
has parodiedperfect
-
am parodyingprogressive
-
are parodyingprogressive
-
is parodyingprogressive
-
have been parodyingperfect progressive
-
has been parodyingperfect progressive
Past
-
parodiedsimple
-
had parodiedperfect
-
was parodyingprogressive
-
were parodyingprogressive
-
had been parodyingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A parody is a humorous or mocking imitation of something, using the same form as the original. To parody a poem, you have to write another poem. A parody is a form of humor that spoofs — or satirizes — something using the same form. For example, shows like "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show" parody newscasts by doing fake newscasts that look like the real thing. Comedians and comedy writers love to parody the President. Anything in the public eye could be the object of a parody.
Vocabulary lists containing parody
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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Poetry: Literary Devices
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Rhetoric
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s a perfect parody of the Period-Piece Pixie, poking fun at the disconnect between her words—”Look at that!
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Of course, “The Eric André Show,” a parody of late-night talk series, always begins with its eponymous host wrecking his set in the most chaotic manner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Efforts to replicate the former president’s mien can also risk coming off like imitation—or, worse, parody.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Tiny Tim needledrops, an in-universe parody of Adam West’s Batman, the irony of its main character finding fulfillment as a fry cook — it all pointed toward Gen X’s wry, detached view of culture.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Half-blind, the dead unicorn stumbled toward the green rock needle until it reached a depression at its base, where it dropped to the knees of its forelegs in a ghastly parody of prayer.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Revisit some of the show’s best jingles and parodies, appreciate Alec Baldwin’s singular performance as Jack Donaghy, and test your memory with this quiz.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
It is curious that Mr. Nichols never mentions Melville’s 1857 novel, “The Confidence-Man,” with its pointed parodies of Emerson as the chilly philosopher Mark Winsome, and of Thoreau as Egbert, a tiresome pseudomoralist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Oddie composed a number of comic songs for the series, often parodies of contemporary pop music.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Yes, it’s whimsical, and yes, it references Mike Davis’ “City of Quartz” more than any of the TMZ-type excursions it gently parodies, but it’s still, at its heart, a bus tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
We sing these, and other parodies of popular songs, all of which we think are very witty.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Alongside these posts, some users promote so-called charms said to protect against genital theft, while comedians have parodied the claims through comedy skits.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
SK Hynix employees’ lofty standing in society got parodied in a viral “Saturday Night Live Korea” skit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Throughout the last four decades, Culture Clash has parodied nearly every prominent Latino figure in history, including Che Guevara, Frida Kahlo, Ritchie Valens, Rita Moreno, Edward James Olmos and others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The sandwich has even been seemingly parodied in “The Simpsons.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
It’s the most parodied painting in history, but every parody just draws more attention to the original.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Others came up with captions including "Don't Look Up," a reference to the 2021 film starring Leonardo Di Caprio parodying societal apathy to the climate crisis.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Other options include Billy Joel, a mainstay in his rotation and the artist he has grown famous for parodying, or someone with ties to Las Vegas, like Elvis Pressley or Elton John.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
In this series and the Moving Picture Show that followed, his speciality was parodying film and television favourites.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
The law was motivated partly by an AI-altered video parodying Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy that went viral earlier in the summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2024
If smart people are parodying it, that’s a sure sign that some less smart people are believing it.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
