1
as in drawings
a picture using lines to represent the chief features of an object or scene
a political cartoon mocking the state legislature
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2
as in strips
a series of drawings that tell a story or part of a story
reading the cartoons in the Sunday newspaper
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3
as in parodies
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
in this biopic the life of a complex man is reduced to a cartoon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cartoons
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
In the grand tradition of other kid-friendly cartoons, each episode contains two short stories.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Dogs and cats are often portrayed as natural enemies in films, cartoons and even everyday folklore—but Nova the pit bull and her orange-tabby companion clearly never got the memo.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Last year the park swung open the doors to equally ingenious fairytale rides themed to the Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan cartoons.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Sixty-five percent of respondents in low-income countries were exposed to them, too, including at school, on social media, at sporting events and in cartoons.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Uncle Sam didn’t become a popular figure in the culture with cartoons and illustrations until after the War of 1812.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
Everything from news about a deadly stampede to cartoons that lampoon Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been the subject of removal orders.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Niedenthal’s photo of a cinema playing ‘Apocalypse Now’ while the apocalypse is happening on the streets, the carp in the bathtub, the girl who wants to watch cartoons in the morning but [political leader] General Jaruzelski is on TV.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Then there's Sesame Street and Saturday morning cartoons.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for cartoons
Noun
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By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.—
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When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?—
Noun
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Carbon fiber rods stand in for the woodpecker’s beak, while bent carbon fiber strips work in place of the hyoid bone.—
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Other menu items include chicken nuggets, strips, breakfast burritos and bowls, salads (Cobb, spicy Southwest), sides (waffle fries, mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken noodle soup), kids’ meals, various milkshakes, and ice cream.—
Noun
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Free speech covers the jokes, the satire, the parodies—even the dumb, crass, or offensive ones.—
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His prediction prompted videos, testimonials and parodies on TikTok.—
Noun
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The second weekend of the season brings a guest appearance by Elfman at a concert dedicated to his music for the films of Tim Burton enhanced by visuals of original sketches and drawings from the films.—
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Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.—
Noun
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Kimmel, like Stephen Colbert, went from acting as boorish right-wing caricatures to playing themselves — that is, liberals who dislike Trump and support vaccines.—
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The characters are turning into caricatures — especially Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam.—
Verb
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Strachan pictures the multi-colored gemstones (less summer, more fall) complementing collarless coats, cashmere crewneck sweaters, and white button-up shirts.—
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Only the last photo during the end credits pictures the fiery aftermath of Hutch’s ultimate battle with Ladeena.—
Noun
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Projecting his short film and those character portraits was such an interesting concept to start.—
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All in all, Pantzer's keen eye and relationships netted him 38 of the artist's watercolors, 3,000 engravings and seven life portraits, according to Newfields' collection overview.—
Noun
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Kimmel, like many other late-night TV hosts, has made Trump the butt of jokes and the subject of criticism over the years.—
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The film just had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest over the weekend, and early reviews have been largely positive, hailing its combination of laugh-out-loud jokes and gory scares.—
Cite this Entry
“Cartoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cartoons. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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