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definitions

parody

[par-uh-dee]
See more synonyms for parody on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural par·o·dies.
  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), par·o·died, par·o·dy·ing.
  1. to imitate (a composition, author, etc.) for purposes of ridicule or satire.
  2. to imitate poorly or feebly; travesty.

Origin of parody

1590–1600; < Latin parōdia a parody < Greek parōidía a burlesque song or poem. See par-, ode, -y3
Related formspar·o·di·a·ble, adjectiveself-par·o·dy, noun, plural self·-par·o·dies.un·par·o·died, adjective
Can be confusedburlesque caricature cartoon parody satire (see synonym study at burlesque)

Synonym study

1, 2. See burlesque.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for parody

caricature, farce, joke, irony, satire, skit, burlesque, travesty, pastiche, cartoon, exaggerate, ridicule, lampoon, mimic, satirize, disparage, mock, mimicry, apology, misrepresentation

Examples from the Web for parody

Contemporary Examples of parody

Historical Examples of parody

  • Let the creed and commandments even have the saucy homage of parody.

    Essays, Second Series

    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • You may parody the great statesman's peroration, and say, 'Where the King cannot enter, he can.'

  • Parody also helped in its way to the formation of the drama.

  • Aha, you've discovered it's a parody, have you, you sly minx!

    The Straw

    Eugene O'Neill

  • We have already had occasion to notice it in connexion with Field's parody of Kyd.

    John Lyly

    John Dover Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for parody

parody

noun plural -dies
  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 -dies, -dying or -died
  1. (tr) to make a parody of
Derived Formsparodic (pəˈrɒdɪk) or parodical, adjectiveparodist, noun

Word Origin for parody

C16: via Latin from Greek paroidiā satirical poem, from para- 1 + ōidē song
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
Word Origin and History for parody
n.

1590s (first recorded use in English is in Ben Jonson), from or in imitation of Latin parodia "parody," from Greek paroidia "burlesque song or poem," from para- "beside, parallel to" (see para- (1), in this case, "mock-") + oide "song, ode" (see ode). The meaning "poor or feeble imitation" is from 1830. Related: Parodic; parodical.

v.

c.1745, from parody (n.). Related: Parodied; parodying.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
parody in Culture

parody

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

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.