Word
travesty
Phoneticstrav·es·ty, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈtɹævəsti/
UK/tɹˈævəstˌi/
Definitions
01a failure of justice or quality
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Law Formal
n. a situation that is so bad or unfair that it is a joke compared to how things should be.
n. a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a situation that represents a complete failure of the standards it is supposed to uphold.
“The trial was a travesty of justice because the judge was not fair.”
“Legal scholars argued that the summary judgment was a travesty of justice, as it ignored several key pieces of exculpatory evidence.”
Usage
Often used in the fixed phrase 'a travesty of justice'.
Synonyms
02artistic parody
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Theater Literary · Formal
n. a piece of writing or art that copies a serious work in a funny or silly way.
n. a literary or artistic work that ridicules a serious subject by using an incongruous style; a burlesque imitation.
“The play was a travesty of the original Shakespeare story.”
“The satirist produced a biting travesty of the epic poem, mocking the hero's supposed virtues through absurd situations.”
Teaching tip
In modern usage, this sense is less common than the 'failure of justice' sense; learners should use 'parody' for general humor.
03to mock or imitate badly
C2 · Proficiency Formal
v. to copy something in a way that makes it look silly or bad.
v. to represent in a false or distorted way; to make a travesty of something.
“The comedian travestied the politician's speech to make the audience laugh.”
“The documentary was criticized for the way it travestied the historical events it claimed to portray accurately.”
Usage
This is a transitive verb and requires a direct object.
Etymology
From French travesti (“disguised, burlesqued”), past participle of travestir (“to disguise”), borrowed from Italian travestire (“to dress up, disguise”), from tra- (“across”) + vestire (“to dress”), from Latin vestiō (“to clothe, dress”), from Proto-Italic westis (“clothing”), from Proto-Indo-European wéstis (“dressing”) from verbal root *wes- (“to dress, clothe”); cognate to English wear. Doublet of travesti.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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