satire

 
Pronunciation: /ˈsatʌɪə/

noun

[mass noun]
  • the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues: the crude satire seems to be directed at the fashionable protest singers of the time
  • [count noun] a play, novel, film, or other work which uses satire: a stinging satire on American politics
  • a genre of literature characterized by the use of satire: a number of articles on Elizabethan satire
  • [count noun] (in Latin literature) a literary miscellany, especially a poem ridiculing prevalent vices or follies.

Derivatives

satirist

noun

Origin:

early 16th century: from French, or from Latin satira, later form of satura 'poetic medley'