CARICATURES Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

caricatures 1 of 2

noun

plural of caricature

as in parodies

a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something that TV network's reporting is a mere caricature of real journalism

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as in spoofs

a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect the artist creates caricatures of famous paintings by replacing humans with cats

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as in exaggerations

the representation of something in terms that go beyond the facts the mayor has presented only a caricature of his opponent's views

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caricatures

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of caricature

as in mocks

to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of caricatured the supervisor's distinctive walk

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of caricatures

Noun

King managed to take the suffocating history of the Indian — the treaties, the massacres, the Hollywood caricatures — and turn it into something conversational, even funny. — Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 Retailer Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves Monday after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures. — Nancy Jiang, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 Target is apologizing for selling a children's Halloween costume that some described as reminiscent of racist minstrel caricatures. — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 For Yard Act’s 2022 debut, The Overload, the quartet chiseled flamboyant caricatures of British life and portrayed their flawed country with an abrasive, punishing tone. — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026 Modern aerospace power bears little resemblance to those caricatures. — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 And the thing about caricatures? — Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 20 June 2026 Too often, caricatures are deployed to justify unfair and unjust treatment. — Jocelyn Frye, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026 Kuzovkov, who died of gunshot wounds to the head, chest and back, had painted unflattering caricatures of Putin, Kadyrov and other high-ranking Russian officials. — Vanessa Gera, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for caricatures

Noun

The show was a phenomenon that continues to inspire copycats and parodies; Hansen emerged as an icon for some, and a meme for others.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
The reel — shot chin-first, uploaded at midnight — inspired countless parodies.

— Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of parodies

Noun

It's been a great couple of years for horror movies, which means that the time was right for the return of horror spoofs.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026

Definition of spoofs

Noun

Staffers for major political figures have puzzled over the content, and are growing concerned about the rise of a new wave of videos with errors, exaggerations, misleading comments, and a tone that can be downright weird.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Distracting from real issues These conspiracy theories are more than exaggerations for a broader audience.

— Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of exaggerations

Verb

Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.

— Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
By and large, the General Assembly mocks his policy proposals and ignores his leadership.

— Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026

Definition of mocks

Noun

But she's also gotten backlash for some of her comments, including lengthy jokes about the non-binary community.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
The fact that Jerri and her brother have the same name will write plenty of jokes itself, but with Chad gaining notoriety and having yet another person on his case, Jerri is sure to bring some drama and pressure his way.

— Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of jokes

Noun

The show was in some ways an antidote to the world of Saturday morning cartoons.

— Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
At the same time, on a remote mountain in New Zealand, a little girl was running similar experiments, sublimating the language of cartoons into a supple personal vernacular.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of cartoons

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caricatured

caricatures

caricaturing

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“Caricatures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caricatures. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of caricatures

noun

verb

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