derision
Americannoun
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ridicule; mockery.
The inept performance elicited derision from the audience.
-
an object of ridicule.
noun
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the act of deriding; mockery; scorn
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an object of mockery or scorn
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of derision
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English derisioun, from Old French derision, from Late Latin dērīsiōn-, stem of dērīsiō, from Latin dērīs(us) “mocked” (past participle of dērīdēre “to mock”; see deride) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If people are laughing at you, making fun of you, and acting as if you're worthless, they're treating you with derision. Derision is mean and attacking — it's a form of contempt. Derision is more than just making fun of someone — it's mocking someone so forcefully and with such venom that you discredit the person completely. Derision can include literally laughing at someone or just treating a person like a joke. You know how celebrities and politicians do embarrassing things from time to time? They're usually treated with derision afterward: people mock them, treat them with contempt, and try to make the person who messed up seem completely worthless.
Vocabulary lists containing derision
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Of Mice and Men
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Lord of the Flies
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Derision and mockery rained from the Twitterverse: “The Death Star had no design flaws. Period.”
From Washington Post • Jan. 23, 2017
Derision was its unifying quality with one notable exception.
From Golf Digest • Jun. 21, 2010
Mr. Evra, the French captain, was one of the first players to bash the Great Horn of Derision, greviously complaining that his teammates were having trouble sleeping at night because of the vuvu.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2010
A cursory study of advance-guard painting gives rise to the conclusion that it consists, like the Mock Turtle's arithmetic, of "Ambition, Distraction, Uglification and Derision."
From Time Magazine Archive
Derision was one of our D words that nobody could spell.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
