Travesties

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A distorted or exaggerated representation that mocks a subject
2. A grotesque imitation or parody that highlights absurdity in a serious matter
3. A false or misleading version that serves to caricature or satirize established norms or ideas

Etymology: The word "travesty" began as a costume term. In French, "travesti" meant "disguised," and it came from Italian "travestire," "to dress up or disguise," built from "tra-" ("across") and "vestire" ("to dress"), which descends from Latin "vestire" and ultimately shares a root with English "wear." Its original sense was therefore simply a person dressed in someone else's clothes, the kind of disguise used in theatrical and masquerade settings. The modern sense of ridicule came later, as a disguise that exaggerates or mocks a subject. A travesty became a work that keeps a serious subject's form while distorting its manner to comic or deflating effect, and the plural "travesties" names several such imitations.

Synonyms: parodies, caricatures, farces, mockeries, absurdities