parody
Americannoun
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parodies
plural
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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)
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parodied,
past participle, past
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parodying
present participle
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to imitate (a composition, author, etc.) for purposes of ridicule or satire.
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to imitate poorly or feebly; travesty.
noun
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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
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parodysimple
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parodiessimple
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have parodiedperfect
-
has parodiedperfect
-
am parodyingprogressive
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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:
A direct parody of 1974’s “Chinatown,” it’s a technical marvel, especially for its time, one that fully commits to the zaniness of its hand-drawn protagonist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
She even sang a parody version of her hit song "Jolene," renamed "Vaccine," while filming a video of her first injection.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Good Good Golf founder and CEO Matt Kendrick told me yesterday that the full video had been intended to be a parody of the new horror movie “Obsession” but had missed the mark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Supporters will take their own view, among them a sense that the behaviour of these players is now beyond parody.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
But his face was tilted back, his lips retracted and teeth bared in a ghoulish parody of a smile.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The series’ first film is its strongest, weaving together overarching parodies of “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” alongside brief send-ups of popular horror films.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Both were affectionate parodies of tropes from classic musicals dating to an era when the art form was far more culturally influential than it is now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
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 ● Mar. 27, 2026
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 ● Jan. 7, 2026
It was almost perfect, just a fraction flatter and shakier than Betty Jean’s voice had been, the o’s and ah’s parodies of Betty Jean’s pretentious ones.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
The video parodied extreme practices associated with the trend, like “bone smashing for facial symmetry,” before promoting lotion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Seinfeld star appeared in a Funny or Die sketch with Stodden in 2012, which parodied daytime talk shows such as Dr Phil.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The sandwich has even been seemingly parodied in “The Simpsons.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
Bondi’s tired put-downs were so bad that “Saturday Night Live” parodied them over the weekend, with guest host Amy Poehler playing the pouty attorney general.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025
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
Heidecker also created the web series “On Cinema” with comedian Gregg Turkington, parodying movie review shows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The comedian remembered the television host parodying ABC’s “Nightline” with his joke, “It’s day 444 of the Oscars.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
Before she broke out in 1988’s “Beetlejuice,” O’Hara was mainly known for her sidesplitting impressions on “SCTV,” parodying outsized icons such as Lucille Ball, Tammy Faye Bakker and Katharine Hepburn.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
