ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Satire

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈsætaɪɹ/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Satire is a noun meaning (countable) A satirical work.

Meaning

(countable) A satirical work.

More Meanings

  1. (uncountable, dated) Severity of remark.
  2. (uncountable) A literary device of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change or highlighting a shortcoming in the work of another. Imitation, humor, irony, and exaggeration are often used to aid this.

Example Sentences

a stinging satire of American politics.
CAESAR. No, by the gods! would that it had been! Vengeance at least is human. No, I say: those severed right hands, and the brave Vercingetorix basely strangled in a vault beneath the Capitol, were (with shuddering satire) a wise severity, a necessary protection to the commonwealth, a duty of statesmanship—follies and fictions ten times bloodier than honest vengeance!

Word Forms

Synonyms for satire

Depending on context, synonyms include irony, sarcasm.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include sarcasm, irony, farce, spoof, travesty, lampoon.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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