satire

C2+ Topic:Literature & Storytelling

US /ˈsætaɪɚ/ UK /ˈsætaɪə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the use of irony or ridicule to expose folly or vice

The play was a biting satire on courtly hypocrisy and greed.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the use of irony or... parody irony ridicule lampoon mockery burlesquespoof

Word family

Forms satirist

Derived forms satiricsatirical satirizesatirist

Related forms satirize satirical

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

pungent satire
satire whose sharp criticism can sting or offend

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Satire comes from Latin satura, “poetic medley,” which later developed the modern literary sense. It entered English in the early 16th century and is unrelated to Saturn or satyrs.

Etymology

From Latin satira (earlier satura) 'medley, poetic miscellany', from the phrase lanx satura ('a full dish, a mixture'), from satur ('full, sated').

satira Latin satur Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Literature & Storytelling Theater & Performance General Vocabulary

External links

# satire

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsætaɪɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsætaɪə/

## Meanings
1. the use of irony or ridicule to expose folly or vice

## Examples
- The play was a biting satire on courtly hypocrisy and greed.

## Synonyms
- parody
- irony
- ridicule
- lampoon
- mockery
- burlesque
- spoof

## Derived Forms
- satiric
- satirical
- satirize
- satirist

## Related Forms
- satirize
- satirical

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: satira
- Root: satur

## Etymology
From Latin satira (earlier satura) 'medley, poetic miscellany', from the phrase lanx satura ('a full dish, a mixture'), from satur ('full, sated').

## AI Etymology
Satire comes from Latin satira (earlier satura) 'medley, poetic miscellany', from the phrase lanx satura ('a full dish, a mixture'), from satur ('full, sated'). The historical chain includes Latin satira and Latin satur. Older glosses in the chain include "medley, poetic miscellany", "a full dish, a mixture", and "full, sated", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, satire is best read as borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the use of irony or ridicule to expose folly or vice". English derivatives include satiric, satirical, satirize, and satirist; related forms include satirize and satirical. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Literature & Storytelling
- Theater & Performance
- General Vocabulary

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