travestytrav‧es‧ty /ˈtrævəsti/ noun (plural travesties) [countable usually singular] 
Their marriage was a complete travesty.travesty of O'Brien described his trial as a travesty of justice.
WORD ORIGINtravesty
Origin:
1600-1700 French travesti ‘having the usual appearance changed’, from travestir ‘to disguise’, from Italian travestire, from tra- ‘across’ (from Latin trans-) + vestire ‘to clothe’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Not allowing her to speak in her own defence was a travesty of justice.
- The Salem witch trials have proved to be a legal travesty.
- If we can learn from the travesty of the Hauptmann case, then it will give purpose to an otherwise senseless death.
- Irrespective of the success of this integration, your claim was a travesty of the facts.
- It seemed almost a mockery, a travesty of what should have been.
- It was a political act, a travesty from start to finish.
- The single-parent family is a travesty of human needs.
Longman Language Activatora situation or decision which is very unfair
when people are treated with great unfairness, especially in connection with their legal rights: · She will be remembered for her ceaseless campaigning against injustice.· These injustices are intolerable, especially when the victims are children.economic/social/racial injustice: · The group, called the Wilmington 10, were active in protests against racial injustices in the schools in the early 1970s.
a situation that is extremely unfair and morally wrong because it has completely the opposite result to the one it is supposed to have: · The Salem witch trials have proved to be a legal travesty.a travesty of justice: · Not allowing her to speak in her own defence was a travesty of justice.
a situation in which someone is wrongly punished for a crime that they were not responsible for: · Whenever a miscarriage of justice is discovered, people lose respect for the law.· The safeguards are intended to prevent a miscarriage of justice.a gross miscarriage of justice (=a very serious miscarriage): · The execution was a gross miscarriage of justice against an innocent man.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY O'Brien described his trial as a travesty of justice.
used in order to say that something is extremely bad and is not what it is claimed to be: O'Brien described his trial as a travesty of justice. Their marriage was a complete travesty.travesty of O'Brien described his trial as a travesty of justice.