satire
satire Lexical Profile
satire Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule in literature, theater, or visual arts to expose and criticize people's stupidity, vices, or societal shortcomings, particularly in the context of contemporary politics.
"The television program uses sharp political satire to highlight the absurdities of modern bureaucracy."
A literary work, play, film, or other artistic composition in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.
"Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' remains one of the most celebrated satires in the English language."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'satire' with 'satyr' (a mythological woodland creature) or 'parody' (which specifically imitates the style of a particular work or author for comic effect, whereas satire targets broader human vices or social institutions).
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from French satire or directly from Latin satira, an alteration of satura, meaning 'poetic medley' (originally referring to lanx satura, a 'full dish' of mixed fruits offered to the gods), from satur ('full' or 'sated').