Synonyms of caricature

caricature 1 of 2

noun

ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r 

1

as in parody

a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something

that TV network's reporting is a mere caricature of real journalism

Synonyms & Similar Words

• parody
• joke
• cartoon
• sham
• farce
• simulation
• mockery
• comedy
• hoax
• travesty
• burlesque
• pretense
• pretence
• counterfeit
• forgery
• lampoon
• takeoff
• fake
• phony
• phoney
• knockoff
• humbug
• feigning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tribute
• homage

2

as in spoof

a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect

the artist creates caricatures of famous paintings by replacing humans with cats

Synonyms & Similar Words

• parody
• spoof
• satire
• burlesque
• imitation
• send-up
• rib
• travesty
• sketch
• takeoff
• distortion
• put-on
• comedy
• exaggeration
• mockery
• farce
• lampoon
• impersonation
• humor
• slapstick
• squib
• mimicking

3

as in exaggeration

the representation of something in terms that go beyond the facts

the mayor has presented only a caricature of his opponent's views

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exaggeration
• coloring
• enhancement
• stretching
• hyperbole
• embroidery
• fabrication
• overstatement
• magnification
• elaboration
• embellishment
• misrepresentation
• hype
• embroidering
• padding
• amplification
• hedging
• puffery
• fudging
• superlative

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• understatement
• meiosis
• disparagement
• belittlement
• minimizing
• poor-mouthing

caricature

2 of 2

verb

as in to parody

to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of

caricatured the supervisor's distinctive walk

Synonyms & Similar Words

• parody
• mock
• imitate
• spoof
• do
• mimic
• burlesque
• send up
• travesty
• ridicule
• emulate
• satirize
• lampoon
• play
• simulate
• reproduce
• jibe
• pretend
• perform
• gibe
• deride
• parrot
• ape
• monkey
• pasquinade
• exaggerate
• fake
• duplicate
• replicate
• personate
• sham
• pantomime
• elaborate
• act
• counterfeit
• stretch
• mime
• feign
• enhance
• pad
• embellish
• embroider
• enlarge (on or upon)
• flesh (out)
• play up
• copycat
• dissemble
• overdraw
• overstate
• put on
• amplify
• magnify
• impersonate
• expand

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun caricature differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of caricature are burlesque, parody, and travesty. While all these words mean "a comic or grotesque imitation," caricature implies ludicrous exaggeration of the characteristic features of a subject.

caricatures of politicians in cartoons

When might burlesque be a better fit than caricature?

The meanings of burlesque and caricature largely overlap; however, burlesque implies mockery especially through giving a serious or lofty subject a frivolous treatment.

a nightclub burlesque of a trial in court

In what contexts can parody take the place of caricature?

The synonyms parody and caricature are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

When is travesty a more appropriate choice than caricature?

The words travesty and caricature are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, travesty implies that the subject remains unchanged but that the style is extravagant or absurd.

this production is a travesty of the opera

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of caricature

Noun

Chisa, what was the challenge of making Jeff and his friends human and not caricatures? —Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025

Aduba holds everything together with a deft turn, refusing to let Cordelia Cupp’s on-paper oddities ever become a caricature. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025

Verb

Critics have caricatured the Adams plan as a giveaway to developers that will let light and sky-stealing high-rises lord over lower-density housing, rendering neighborhoods unrecognizable. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024

Elegy thus belongs to an old and ignoble genre, one which caricatures the hillbilly for an audience’s titillation. —Sarah Jones, Vulture, 15 July 2024