The word lampoon, means to publicly criticise or ridicule someone or something through satire, often in a witty or exaggerated way
Word of the day: LAMPOON
Pronunciaton: lam·poon UK/læmˈpuːn/ US/læmˈpuːn/
Meaning
Lampoon refers to a satirical piece of writing, speech, or performance that ridicules or mocks an individual, group, or institution.
Origin and History
The word lampoon originates from the 17th-century French word ‘lampon’
The word entered the English language in the mid-1600s and was used both as a noun, referring to a written attack that ridicules, and as a verb, meaning to criticise publicly through ridicule or mockery.
Examples from literature
- In his comic play The Clouds, Aristophanes, writing in 420 BC, lampooned rhetoric as the art of weak reasoning, “which by false arguments triumphs over the strong.” – Words Like Loaded Pistols by Sam Leith
- This contemporary lithograph lampoons the panicked gentry who fled the city – and thus turned Handel’s new oratorio, Theodora, into a box-office flop. – The Story of Music by Howard Goodall
Synonyms
- Satire
- Parody
- Caricature
- Mockery
Published: 19 Sept 2025, 08:00 am IST
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