Home › Glossary › Letter S

Satirical verse

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Poetry that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to critique or mock

Detailed Definition
Satirical verse uses irony, wit, and exaggeration to expose and criticize human vice, social injustice, or political folly; rooted in traditions from Juvenal to Pope, it combines moral urgency with artistic craft, aiming to reform through ridicule and sharp observation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” mocking aristocratic triviality; “A Modest Proposal” in verse form—suggesting eating children; A poem ridiculing influencer culture: “Her life’s a filter, / her soul’s a brand”; Dryden’s “Mac Flecknoe” satirizing bad poets
Additional Notes
Satirical verse employs irony, exaggeration, and wit to expose societal flaws; differs from ridicule by targeting systems rather than individuals.
Also Known As
lampooning verse ironic stanza critical lyric parodic poem mocking parody verse Satire Aí Satirical style
Skip to main content