caricature
Say it: KA-rih-kuh-chuh /ˈkarɪkətjʊə/ · noun
What “caricature” means
A picture or portrayal that makes someone's features comically exaggerated.
More precisely: A depiction exaggerating someone's features or traits for comic or critical effect.
Example: “The film reduces every banker to a caricature of greed.”
When to use it
Use it for drawings or portrayals that enlarge a person's distinctive features or habits, often for humour or criticism.
Similar words
cartoon, parody, distortion
Where it comes from
From Italian caricatura, from caricare, 'to load, exaggerate'.
Quick check
An artist draws your curly hair as an enormous cloud and makes your familiar grin twice as wide. That's…
a caricature or a likeness?
Show the answer
a caricature
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