parody

[ par-uh-dee ]

/ ˈpær ə di /

noun, plural par·o·dies.

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), par·o·died, par·o·dy·ing.

to imitate (a composition, author, etc.) for purposes of ridicule or satire.

to imitate poorly or feebly; travesty.

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transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

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Origin of parody

1590–1600; < Latin parōdia a parody < Greek parōidía a burlesque song or poem. See par-, ode, -y³

synonym study for parody

1, 2. See burlesque.

OTHER WORDS FROM parody

par·o·di·a·ble, adjectiveself-par·o·dy, noun, plural self·-par·o·dies.un·par·o·died, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH parody

burlesque caricature cartoon parody satire (see synonym study at burlesque)

Words nearby parody

parodic, parodist, parodistic, parodontium, parodos, parody, paroecious, paroicous, parokheth, parol, parole

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for self-parody

Domestically, its Jewish outreach efforts have reached the point of self-parody.
Obama, Don't Go Wobbly on Israel|Peter Beinart|July 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Remaining a pop phenomenon for 20 years without dying or lapsing into self-parody is quite a feat.
The Book on Aging Rockers|Jane Ciabattari|June 29, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Douglas, often a rather stolid actor, possessed the savvy to come near the brink of self-parody without falling over the edge.
Who Killed Gordon Gekko?|Richard Porton|May 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for self-parody (1 of 2)

self-parody

noun

the act or an instance of mimicking oneself in a humorous or satirical way

British Dictionary definitions for self-parody (2 of 2)

parody

/ (ˈpærədɪ) /

noun plural -dies

a musical, literary, or other composition that mimics the style of another composer, author, etc, in a humorous or satirical way

mimicry of someone's individual manner in a humorous or satirical way

something so badly done as to seem an intentional mockery; travesty

verb -dies, -dying or -died

(tr) to make a parody of

Derived forms of parody

parodic (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

Cultural definitions for self-parody

parody

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