1
as in parodies
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
the recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a farce
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in comedies
humorous entertainment
the rubber-faced, loose-jointed comedian is a master of knockabout farce
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of farces
With sparse amounts of slapstick, this staging isn’t the most physical of farces, though Lutz and Enriquez in particular strike some laugh-out-loud poses.
—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
30 Nov. 2025
His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
30 Nov. 2025
His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for farces
Noun
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Scary Movie paved the way for more big-screen parodies, including Date Movie (2006), Epic Movie (2007), and Meet the Spartans (2008).
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Tiddes gave props to Paramount’s marketing department, which created a string of memes and myriad parodies on social media to lead the masses to Scary Movie.
Noun
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Minions creator Pierre Coffin seized rare creative control, crafting a visually dense tribute packed with nods to silent comedies, early film experiments and studio landmarks.
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That standard took her all the way through to Grace and Frankie, her longest running onscreen job to date and a relic of a time when networks allowed television comedies to build their audiences and their voices.
Noun
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The pro‑government newspaper Sabah said dozens of viewers were offended by jokes on religion and filed complaints, prompting the investigation.
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Slides, jokes and the occasional embarrassing photo are fair game.
Noun
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However, Khatima also maintained that the four humors played a role in determining the plague’s course.
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The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates divided the lives of men into only four stages, a number that mirrored the four humors and the four elements.
Noun
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And the thing about caricatures?
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Too often, caricatures are deployed to justify unfair and unjust treatment.
Cite this Entry
“Farces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/farces. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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