travesties 1 of 2

noun

plural of travesty
1
as in parodies
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something rigged from the start, his trial was a travesty of justice

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spoofs
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect the big-screen version of the classic sitcom is actually a good-natured travesty of the TV series

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travesties

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of travesty
as in mocks
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of this comedy sketch mindlessly travesties the hard work of relief workers around the world

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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 travesties
Noun
By the season’s end, in fact, more than a few travesties are laid at Peter’s feet. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travesties
  1. parodies
  2. spoofs
  3. mocks
  4. caricatures
  5. imitates
  6. jokes
Noun
  • 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
  • His high-water mark was without a doubt the United Way commercial, one of the best commercial parodies of the last 25 years.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 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
Verb
  • We are presented with a few potentially hissable villains, including an attorney for the state (Christian Rubeck) who mocks the Gheorghius’ faith and a frostily inflexible social worker, Gunda (Ellen Dorrit Petersen).
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is designed as an action flick as well as a portrait of a family dealing with tragedy and an insider’s look at an insular community that mocks harmful stereotypes without perpetrating them.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of mocks
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
Verb
  • Constantin Brâncuși’s marble-and-limestone sculpture L’oiseau (1923/1947), for example, commands the space, while Wolfgang Tillmans’s 2022 photograph tree filling window imitates an open window in a closed space.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Over the weekend, movie-theater chain AMC Entertainment accused Robinhood of creating an unauthorized market that imitates trading in AMC shares through its overseas platform without the company’s approval.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of imitates
Noun
  • By the time jokes start flying, about 12,300 tickets will have been purchased, said Creston Thornton, president of promoter Live Nation’s mountain region.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026
  • That hasn’t stopped them from having two teenage, half-vampire sons, which begs some questions about vampire physiology but allows for some solid jokes about superpowered adolescence.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of jokes

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Cite this Entry

“Travesties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travesties. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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