Synonym Study

• Burlesque , in this comparison, refers to a broadly comic or satirical imitation, and implies the handling of a serious subject lightly or flippantly, or of a trifling subject with mock seriousness
• Caricature refers to a representation of a person or thing, in writing, performance, or esp. drawing, that ludicrously exaggerates its distinguishing features
• Lampoon refers to a piece of strongly satirical writing that uses broad humor in attacking and ridiculing the faults and weaknesses of an individual or institution
• Satire refers to a literary work in which follies, vices, stupidities, and abuses in life are held up to ridicule or contempt, esp. through the use of irony, sarcasm, and wit
• Travesty , in contrast, implies that the subject matter is retained, but that the style and language are changed so as to give a grotesquely absurd effect
• A parody ridicules a written work or writer by imitating the style closely, esp. so as to point up peculiarities or affectations, and usually also by distorting the content nonsensically or changing it to something absurdly incongruous