noun
caricature
KA-rih-kuh-choor
noun
1
A drawing or description that exaggerates someone's features for comic or critical effect.
"The street artist drew a caricature of the tourist with an enormous nose."
"The cartoon was a caricature of the senator, mocking his stiff speaking style."
2
An exaggerated or absurd version of something, distorting it beyond recognition.
"The film reduced the historical figure to a caricature."
verb
1
To portray someone or something in an exaggerated, often mocking way.
"The satirist loved to caricature politicians in his weekly column."
How to Use Caricature
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn exaggerated portrait or portrayal that pokes fun at someone's most obvious traits.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "character" — the words look similar but come from entirely different roots.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
draw a caricature
a political caricature
reduced to a caricature
Word Forms
caricatured past tense, caricatures plural, caricatures singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “caricature”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The street artist drew a _____ of the tourist with an enormous nose.
Etymology
From French caricature, from Italian caricatura, ultimately from Latin carrus ("cart, load") — via the idea of "loading" or exaggerating someone's features. Not related to the word "character," despite the resemblance.