parody

[par-uh-dee]

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.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-parody

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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

British Dictionary definitions for self-parody

self-parody

noun

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

parody

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 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 self-parody

parody

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

parody

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.

self-parody in Culture

parody

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