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caricature

[ kar-i-kuh-cher, -choor ]
/ ˈkær ɪ kə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər /
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See synonyms for: caricature / caricatured / caricatures / caricaturing on Thesaurus.com
noun
a picture, description, etc., ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things: His caricature of the mayor in this morning's paper is the best he's ever drawn.
the art or process of producing such pictures, descriptions, etc.
any imitation or copy so distorted or inferior as to be ludicrous.
verb (used with object), car·i·ca·tured, car·i·ca·tur·ing.
to make a caricature of; represent in caricature.
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Origin of caricature

1740–50; earlier caricatura <Italian, equivalent to caricat(o) loaded, i.e., distorted (past participle of caricare; see charge) + -ura -ure

synonym study for caricature

1. See burlesque.

OTHER WORDS FROM caricature

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH caricature

burlesque, caricature , cartoon, parody, satire (see synonym study at burlesque)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to caricature

cartoon, farce, parody, satire, burlesque, distortion, imitation, lampoon, libel, mimicry, mockery, pasquinade, pastiche, put on, ridicule, sham, takeoff, travesty, send-up

How to use caricature in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caricature

caricature
/ (ˈkærɪkəˌtjʊə) /
noun
a pictorial, written, or acted representation of a person, which exaggerates his characteristic traits for comic effect
a ludicrously inadequate or inaccurate imitationhe is a caricature of a statesman
verb
(tr) to represent in caricature or produce a caricature of

Derived forms of caricature

caricatural, adjectivecaricaturist, noun

Word Origin for caricature

C18: from Italian caricatura a distortion, exaggeration, from caricare to load, exaggerate; see cargo
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for caricature

caricature

In art or literature, portrayal of an individual or thing that exaggerates and distorts prominent characteristics so as to make them appear ridiculous. Caricature is commonly a medium for satire.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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