travesty

[ trav-uh-stee ]
See synonyms for travesty on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural trav·es·ties.
  1. a grotesque or debased likeness or imitation: a travesty of justice.

  2. a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject, characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity of style, treatment, or subject matter.

  1. a literary or artistic composition so inferior in quality as to be merely a grotesque imitation of its model.

verb (used with object),trav·es·tied, trav·es·ty·ing.
  1. to make a travesty on; turn (a serious work or subject) to ridicule by burlesquing.

  2. to imitate grotesquely or absurdly.

Origin of travesty

1
1655–65; <French travesti, past participle of travestir “to disguise” <Italian travestire, equivalent to tra- (<Latin trāns- trans-) + vestire “to clothe” <Latin vestīre; see vest

synonym study For travesty

2. See burlesque.

Other words for travesty

Other words from travesty

  • un·trav·es·tied, adjective

Words Nearby travesty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use travesty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for travesty

travesty

/ (ˈtrævɪstɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. a farcical or grotesque imitation; mockery; parody

verb-ties, -tying or -tied
  1. (tr) to make or be a travesty of

Origin of travesty

1
C17: from French travesti disguised, from travestir to disguise, from Italian travestire, from tra- trans- + vestire to clothe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012