satirize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- nonsatirizing adjective
- satirizable adjective
- satirization noun
- satirizer noun
- unsatirizable adjective
- unsatirized adjective
Etymology
Origin of satirize
Explanation
When you cleverly make fun of something, you satirize it. Political cartoons, for example, satirize current events and politicians using clever drawings and captions. When a writer criticizes something using humor, she satirizes it. Playwrights and filmmakers often satirize ridiculous social customs by reflecting them in exaggerated ways, for example. Ideally, when an artist satirizes society, she hopes to encourage positive changes by making people feel ashamed or embarrassed. The root of satirize is the noun satire, which in classical Latin meant a kind of poem that "ridiculed vice or folly."
Vocabulary lists containing satirize
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.
Mr. Hanif’s problem may be that his country gives him too much to satirize.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
The shorts often satirize Christmas traditions such as gift-giving and pageants.
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025
Wood, 45, will host the quiz show-style format as a forum for comics, pundits and media personalities to satirize the issues of the day.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2024
The fourth deals with a witch, giving them a chance to satirize conspiracy theorists.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024
And there is always the non-productive brotherhood of critics to disparage and to satirize, to view with horror and contempt.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
