parody

[par-uh-dee]

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.

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

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to make a parody of

parody

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of parody¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of parody¹

C16: via Latin from Greek paroidiā satirical poem, from _para- ¹ + ōidē song

Synonym Study

See burlesque.

Example Sentences

When something in culture becomes too monolithic to ignore, the logical next step is to parody it.

Read more on Salon

“Saturday Night Live,” which celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year with multiple specials, has been churning out political parodies for decades, and its comedy has targeted leaders from all political backgrounds.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

While some of that language must be required by an exhausted legal team behind the scenes, the long-running satirical cartoon is known for pressing hot-button topics and rapidly churning out searing parodies.

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The network had previously pulled a repeat of Season 27’s second episode, “Got a Nut,” which parodies Kirk.

Read more on Salon

Stephen Colbert roasted Disney with a very funny parody video.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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