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Main Entry:1car£i£ca£ture
Pronunciation:*ker-i-k*-*ch*r, -*ch*r, -*ty*r, -*t*r, -*ka-ri-
Function:noun
Etymology:Italian caricatura, literally, act of loading, from caricare to load, from Late Latin carricare
Date:1712

1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics
2 : a representation especially in literature or art that has the qualities of caricature
3 : a distortion so gross as to seem like caricature
–car£i£ca£tur£al \*ker-i-k*-*ch*r-*l, -*ch*r-, -*ty*r-, -*t*r-, -*ka-ri-\ adjective
–car£i£ca£tur£ist \*ker-i-k*-*ch*r-ist, -*ch*r-, -*ty*r-, -*t*r-, -*ka-ri-\ noun
synonyms CARICATURE, BURLESQUE, PARODY, TRAVESTY mean a comic or grotesque imitation. CARICATURE implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject *caricatures of politicians in cartoons*. BURLESQUE implies mockery especially through giving a serious or lofty subject a frivolous treatment *a nightclub burlesque of a trial in court*. PARODY applies especially to treatment of a trivial or ludicrous subject in the exactly imitated style of a well-known author or work *a witty parody of a popular novel*. TRAVESTY implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd *this production is a travesty of the opera*.