cartoons 1 of 2

noun

plural of cartoon
1
as in drawings
a picture using lines to represent the chief features of an object or scene a political cartoon mocking the state legislature

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in strips
a series of drawings that tell a story or part of a story reading the cartoons in the Sunday newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in parodies
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something in this biopic the life of a complex man is reduced to a cartoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cartoons

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cartoon
as in caricatures

Related Words

Example Sentences

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 cartoons
Noun
The candle smells of cereal, milk and lemon and is intended to recall the days of watching Saturday morning cartoons and summer. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Ridicule and mockery are ubiquitous in industrialized societies, from political cartoons to social media. — Christopher Von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026 Robby stayed home, measuring the time between clusters of seizures in video games and cartoons. — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026 Betty Boop and Minnie Mouse bounced from frame to frame in the cartoons. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026 The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 editorial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. — USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 The decision to launch a separate block of programming aimed at those viewers, filled with raunchy cartoons that actively subverted nostalgia and violent anime that couldn’t be shown during daytime hours, was logical. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026 Characters like Snoopy, Hello Kitty, and other childhood cartoons are at the center of fashion’s latest nostalgia craze. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 7 Sep. 2026 Every inch of wall space is covered with vintage mirrors, statues and busts, alongside countless drawings, cartoons and paintings. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cartoons
  1. drawings
  2. strips
  3. parodies
  4. pictures
  5. sketches
  6. funnies
  7. caricatures
  8. portraits
Noun
  • Related Articles The exhibition is co-organized by Joanna Sheers Seidenstein, the Met’s curator of European drawings and prints, and Blaise Ducos, who oversees Dutch and Flemish paintings at the Louvre.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Find here Gruau’s original gouaches and Hervé van der Straeten’s drawings.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of drawings
Noun
  • Quaternary sanitizer is used in the facility, however, test strips to test the strength of this chemical are not available in the facility.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Rather than lighting an entire room, try task lighting like reading lamps, under-the-cabinet light strips, and desk lamps that illuminate a workspace.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of strips
Noun
  • The five stars teased the project with parodies of their characters in a promo video.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The name of the collection parodies the seriousness of the museum, even as the collection itself is the kind of thing that has traditionally gotten scant attention within actual institutions.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of parodies
Verb
  • Roddy Ho is not written as physically fit in Mick Herron’s Slough House books, on which the Apple TV spy show is based — though the character certainly pictures himself that way.
    — Lisa de los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • With nearly every surface painted to her liking, Jordan pictures herself staying in the apartment for a while.
    — Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of pictures
Noun
  • No Bad Memories is an unusual gambit; by my count, there are 12 interstitial sketches to the record’s 14 proper songs.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The opening event, which included a 3,000-drone performance, wellness events such as sound healing, journal customization, aura photography and fashion sketches, was attended by global ambassador Jisoo and models Ming Xi and Stella Maxwell.
    — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of sketches
Noun
  • Lowbrow sources such as Sunday funnies, B movies, and advertisements are present but are more diffuse, rarely coalescing into obvious quotation.
    — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Definition of funnies
Noun
  • But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of digging into the details of personality and circumstance — this school has a specific class for Shakespeare and also English teachers who are literature-hating caricatures?
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of caricatures
Noun
  • Inspired by archival photographs of alpine pioneer and early Moncler collaborator Lionel Terray, each is captured in bold portraits wearing reimagined versions of signature Moncler outerwear and accessories.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Then, Nourry sculpted their portraits using her free interpretations.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of portraits

Browse Nearby Words

cartooning
cartoons
cartridge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cartoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cartoons. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All