Dictionary

satire en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsætaɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈsætaɪɹ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle French satire, from Old French, from Latin satira, from earlier satura, from lanx satura (“full dish”), from feminine of satur. Altered in Latin by influence of Ancient Greek σάτυρος (sáturos, “satyr”), on the mistaken notion that the form is related to the Greek σατυρικὸν δράμα (saturikòn dráma, “satyr drama”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) A literary device of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change or highlighting a shortcoming in the work of another. Imitation, humor, irony, and exaggeration are often used to aid this.
   • Satire deflates and debases. It is an art which topples greatness, undermines pretension and punishes pride by revealing the low in the pretendedly high, the filth in the pure, the folly in reason. This belittling trick deploys telescopic lenses which picture the human as lesser and lower, or as a machine or beast, driven by depraved desires. Satire reduces what purports to be subtly superior to a repertoire of stigmatizing symbols and cardboard cut-outs, turning character into caricature, signalled by exaggerated physiognomical distortions - the huge nose, gaping mouth and bloated belly, or comparable animalistic traits. In this humbling of the complex into the simplistic, satire finally reduces the mind, soul or spirit to that flesh which always bespeaks inferiority on the Chain of Being. 2003, Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason, Ch.9, at p.148
2. (countable) A satirical work.
   • a stinging satire of American politics.
3. (dated, uncountable) Severity of remark.
   • CAESAR. No, by the gods! would that it had been! Vengeance at least is human. No, I say: those severed right hands, and the brave Vercingetorix basely strangled in a vault beneath the Capitol, were (with shuddering satire) a wise severity, a necessary protection to the commonwealth, a duty of statesmanship—follies and fictions ten times bloodier than honest vengeance! 1898, George Bernard Shaw, Caesar and Cleopatra:

Forms

Deriveds

satiric · satirist · satirism · satirize · satirically · fratire · unsatirised · satirical · unsatirized · satirise

Translations (84)

ur ہجو (literary technique) · os сатирӕ (literary technique) · uk сати́ра (literary technique) · hy երգիծանք (literary technique) · ky сатира (literary technique) · hy երգիծաբանություն (literary technique) · cmn 諷刺 /讽刺 (literary technique) · tg танз (literary technique) · tr yergi (literary technique) · ga aoir (literary technique) · az gülgü (literary technique) · cs satira (literary technique) · uz satira (literary technique) · ur طنز (literary technique) · ht satir (literary technique) · lt satyra (literary technique) · my သရော်စာ (literary technique) · et satiir (literary technique) · tg ҳаҷв (literary technique) · ps هجوه (literary technique) · mn хошин (literary technique) · tl satira (literary technique) · fa هجو (literary technique) · de Satire (literary technique) · ug ساتىرا (literary technique) · hu szatíra (literary technique) · mn хошигнол (literary technique) · sh sàtira (literary technique) · lv satīra (literary technique) · sq satirë (literary technique) · fa طنز (literary technique) · da satire (literary technique) · hi उपसाह (literary technique) · ug ھەجۋە (literary technique) · vi châm biếm (literary technique) · el σάτιρα (literary technique) · hi व्यंग (literary technique) · th การเสียดสี (literary technique) · ar هِجَاء (literary technique) · gd aoir (literary technique) · pl satyra (literary technique) · yue 諷刺 /讽刺 (literary technique) · ms satira (literary technique) · mi kōrero whakarōrā (literary technique) · bg са́тира (literary technique) · sk satira (literary technique) · fi satiiri (literary technique) · vo satir (literary technique) · sv satir (literary technique) · is háðsádeila (literary technique) · tk satira (literary technique) · ps طنز (literary technique) · nl satire (literary technique) · es sátira (literary technique) · ro satiră (literary technique) · be саты́ра (literary technique) · sl satira (literary technique) · az həcv (literary technique) · sw tashtiti (literary technique) · nan-hbl 諷刺 /讽刺 (literary technique) · az satira (literary technique) · he סָטִירָה \ סאטירה (literary technique) · hi कटूपहास (literary technique) · ca sàtira (literary technique) · ko 풍자 (literary technique) · kk сықақ (literary technique) · it satirica (literary technique) · is satíra (literary technique) · it satira (literary technique) · sh са̀тира (literary technique) · pt sátira (literary technique) · mk сатира (literary technique) · nb satire (literary technique) · af satire (literary technique) · ka სატირა (literary technique) · fr satire (literary technique) · ar هَجْو (literary technique) · ja 風刺 (literary technique) · kk сатира (literary technique) · ru сати́ра (literary technique) · uz hajv (literary technique) · ja 皮肉 (literary technique) · eo satiro (literary technique) · tr hiciv (literary technique)