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travesty
[ trav-uh-stee ]
noun
- a grotesque or debased likeness or imitation:
a travesty of justice.
Synonyms: distortion, sham, perversion, mockery
- a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject, characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity of style, treatment, or subject matter.
- a literary or artistic composition so inferior in quality as to be merely a grotesque imitation of its model.
verb (used with object)
- to make a travesty on; turn (a serious work or subject) to ridicule by burlesquing.
- to imitate grotesquely or absurdly.
travesty
/ ˈtrævɪstɪ /
noun
- a farcical or grotesque imitation; mockery; parody
verb
- tr to make or be a travesty of
Other Words From
- un·traves·tied adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of travesty1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
She said: “Often insurance companies will refuse to insure spas to welcome people with cancer, which is an absolute travesty as far as I’m concerned, and contravenes the Equality Act 2010.”
West Hollywood resident Bill Bekkala, 65, sent me a list of Trump outrages, hypocrisy, vulgarity, lies, insults and assorted travesties that’s longer than this column and is still a work in progress.
“It’s a travesty for the veterans to see them get to come back for nothing,” he said.
“Marcellus Williams’ conviction is a grave miscarriage of justice and to execute him would be an unthinkable, irreversible travesty,” one of his attorneys wrote in a court filing.
Fayed’s then official spokesperson, Michael Cole, calls it "a travesty of the truth”, saying: "We helped Tom, and then he betrayed all of that help”.
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More About Travesty
What does travesty mean?
A travesty is something that imitates something else but in a gross or ridiculous manner.
A travesty is also a literary or other artistic work that is a grotesque example of the art form it models.
To travesty means to imitate absurdly or to parody a serious artwork.
Example: The movie was an absolute travesty of the events that actually took place.
Where does travesty come from?
The first records of the term travesty come from around 1655. It ultimately comes from the Italian travestire, meaning “to disguise” or “to change dress.” A travesty almost always describes something as being a fake or bad imitation.
A travesty is an imitation of a work of art, but it can also describe the imitation of other things, such as a ritual, event, or historical speech or action. Often, travesty is used to describe something that is not necessarily a direct imitation. For example, when someone believes that a song is not good, they may say that it is a travesty to the genre, meaning “it hardly represents the genre.”
Did you know … ?
What are some other forms related to travesty?
- untravestied (adjective)
What are some synonyms for travesty?
What are some words that share a root or word element with travesty?
What are some words that often get used in discussing travesty?
What are some words travesty may be commonly confused with?
How is travesty used in real life?
Travesty is normally used to refer to something the speaker dislikes.
Wow, woke up to 3 Grammy nominations!! Though it’s a travesty @BTS_twt didn’t get one. That was more deserved than ever this year!
— DJ Swivel (@djswivel) November 20, 2019
can't believe i consumed zero avocados yesterday what an absolute travesty how unpatriotic of me what a disgrace i am
— 🔴Live ttv/tytyoakley | (@tyleroakley) February 8, 2016
The real travesty is where is the shine for #BBHMMVideo when VMA eligibility period was 7/7/14-7/1/15 & that gem dropped 7/1… @MTV
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 22, 2015
Try using travesty!
Is travesty used correctly in the following sentence?
With the school principal supporting one of the candidates for student council president, the election was a travesty.
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