satire

Everyday

1. Satire is a way of writing, drawing or performing that uses humour, exaggeration or mockery to show that people, especially powerful people, are silly or wrong. tree →
2. A satire is a story, play or cartoon that does this. tree →

In the lessons

Used in older reading and media lessons: cartoons in newspapers and comedy shows that make fun of politicians. Gulliver's Travels and Animal Farm are famous satires. Media literacy: a satire website writes made-up funny news, so do not believe it as real news.

Examples

• The cartoon is a satire of the government. tree →
• Animal Farm is a satire about power. tree →
• Some news websites are satire, so the stories are not real. tree →
• Satire uses humour to show something is wrong. tree →
• The play was a funny satire of school life. tree →
• Check if a story is satire before you share it. tree →
• The defendant replied with satire as keen, while the audience laughed, and gave their verdict. tree →

Note

Adjective: satirical. A satirist writes satire. Not the same as "satyr" (a mythical creature). Satire is a trap online: it can look like real news.