Words / C1

SAT-eye-uh/ˈsætaɪə/

Satire is humour, irony, or exaggeration used to criticise: political satire, a satire of bureaucracy. A parody copies a style to mock; sarcasm is a sharp remark; comedy is wider and need not criticise. Satirical is the adjective. Do not treat a skit as a methods correction, and do not use satire to lift an embargo.

Meaning

Humour, irony, or exaggeration used to criticise people or ideas.

Examples

• “Satire of the board is not a methods correction, and it does not lift an embargo.”
• “Comedy entertains. Irony can be quieter. A lampoon is a harsh cousin. Ridicule (already in the dictionary) is scorn. A joke in the canteen is not a filed erratum. Dates still bind.”

Good to know

Mocking criticism through humour. Contrast: parody (style-copy); sarcasm (a remark). Not a substitute for a correction or a date.

Near in meaning

irony

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