(ˈsæt aɪər) n. 1. the use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. 2. a literary composition or genre in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. syn: See irony1. satire. A genre using irony or ridicule to hold contentious issues, folly, or evil in scorn.