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 love for “Daddy Powell,” as he is sometimes called, has led to T-shirts, parody accounts and countless memes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pace Mr. Miller, it didn’t advocate freedom for the sake of freedom, or elections as a good in themselves, even if the overwrought text of Mr. Bush’s Second Inaugural address lent itself to that parody.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Las Vegas, guests enter a trippy grocery store complete with parodies of household items before finding their way to the main exhibition space.

From Los Angeles Times

“Scary Movie” is a genuinely hilarious parody of horror tropes, while its sequels are merely decent clip packages, stitched together by increasingly weak narrative threads.

From Salon

The Glaswegian comic actor specialised in parodies of television and Hollywood films, where he played most of the parts.

From BBC

Related Words

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