deride

[dih-rahyd]

verb (used with object)

derided, deriding 

1. to laugh at in scorn or contempt; scoff or jeer at; mock.

   Synonyms: rally, banter, gibe, flout, taunt

deride

/ dɪˈraɪd /

verb

1. (tr) to speak of or treat with contempt, mockery, or ridicule; scoff or jeer at

Other Word Forms

• derider noun
• deridingly adverb
• overderide verb (used with object)
• underided adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deride¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin dērīdēre “to mock,” equivalent to dē- de- + rīdēre “to laugh”

Word History and Origins

Origin of deride¹

C16: from Latin dērīdēre to laugh to scorn, from _de- + rīdēre to laugh, smile

Synonym Study

See ridicule.

Example Sentences

He called climate change a ‘hoax’ and derided clean energy.

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Redford derided not only crookedness but the perversion of procedure and hard work that resulted in the privileged mounting their success on the backs of others.

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He derided the concept on a 2022 episode of his eponymous show as “a made-up, new age term that … does a lot of damage.”

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A sharper debate has opened over social and cultural issues: Should Democrats break with the identity politics — the stuff Republicans deride as “woke” — that animates much of their progressive wing?

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That vast, polycentric mass — long derided by urban experts residing in denser cities — can also be an asset in the years ahead as autonomous mobility becomes ubiquitous.

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Related Words

• disdain 
• disparage 
• mock 
• ridicule 
• scoff 
• scorn 
• taunt