travesty

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>travesty</strong> &#149; \TRAV-uh-stee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Travesty</em> refers to something that is shocking, upsetting, or ridiculous because it is not what it is supposed to be, but is instead a distorted or badly inferior imitation of it. The word is often used in the phrase “a travesty of.” <em>Travesty</em> is not a synonym of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragedy"><em>tragedy</em></a>, which refers instead to a disastrous event.</p> <p>// That the timber company only had to pay a minimal fine after being found guilty of illegal logging was considered by many to be a <em>travesty</em> of justice. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/travesty">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“Ten years and a number of entries later, ‘Fast Five’ is the first sequel to the 2001 ‘The Fast and the Furious’ that’s worth watching, that isn’t an embarrassment or a <em>travesty</em> of the original picture.” — Mick LaSalle, <em>SFChronicle.com</em>, 20 May 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>When disaster strikes, keeping track of which word to use seems pretty unimportant. But you don’t want to describe disastrous events as travesties, because they’re not: they’re <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragedy">tragedies</a>. Travesties are terrible too, but <em>travesty</em> refers specifically to something that is done in a way that makes a mockery of what it’s supposed to be: for example, a contest won by the judge’s spouse could be considered a travesty. And a trial in which the defendant wasn’t allowed to present evidence could be described as a “travesty of justice.” <em>Travesty</em>, which can also function as a verb meaning “to make a travesty of” or “to parody