Caricature Meaning
/ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA pictorial representation of someone in which distinguishing features are exaggerated for comic effect.
nounA grotesque misrepresentation.
Sentence Examples
Some people caricature gay men as limp-wristed and speaking with a lisp.
I am not myself anymore. I've become a laughable caricature of my deepest self.
This is not a parody, but a friendly caricature.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The artist drew a funny ____ of the politician with an enormous nose and tiny ears.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The artist drew a funny ____ of the politician with a very large nose.
Word Origin & History
From French caricature, from Italian caricatura, ultimately from Latin carrus, and so not related to character, which is instead ultimately from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “type, nature, character”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Lo Ching-chong (羅慶忠), better known as L.C.C., showed off a caricature of Lu he did in 2001. In the black-and-white drawing, Lu sports a bird's nest-like hairdo, with a bird perched in it."
— 2006 March 7, Shu-ling Ko, “Cartoonists decry the lack of interest in their talents”, in Taipei Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Dec 2006, Taiwan News, page 3:
"Men In Black 3 lacks the novelty of the first film, and its take on the late ’60s feels an awful lot like a psychedelic dress-up party, all broad caricatures and groovy vibes."
— 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV Club:
"A grotesque caricature of virtue."
— 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter III, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
"Anything more appalling than this jumbled mass of the remains of a departed race I cannot imagine, and what made it even more dreadful was that in this dry air a considerable number of the bodies had simply become desiccated with the skin still on them, and now, fixed in every conceivable position, stared at us out of the mountain of white bones, grotesquely horrible caricatures of humanity."
— 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
"They were ignoring that the feckless, toothless caricature of a world parliament — the UN — needed American money in order to keep going and would do anything to get our moolah!"
— 1994 October, Harry Hay, “Focussing On NAMBLA Obscures The Issues”, in Gay Community News, page 18:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The artist drew a funny ____ of the politician with an enormous nose and tiny ears.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The artist drew a funny ____ of the politician with a very large nose.