mockery

American  

[mok-uh-ree] / ˈmɒk ə ri /

noun

• mockeries
  plural

1. ridicule, contempt, or derision.

2. a derisive, imitative action or speech.

3. a subject or occasion of derision.

4. an imitation, especially of a ridiculous or unsatisfactory kind.

   Synonyms:

   mimicry

5. a mocking pretense; travesty.

   a mockery of justice.

6. something absurdly or offensively inadequate or unfitting.

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mockery British  

/ ˈmɒkərɪ /

noun

1. ridicule, contempt, or derision

2. a derisive action or comment

3. an imitation or pretence, esp a derisive one

4. a person or thing that is mocked

5. a person, thing, or action that is inadequate or disappointing

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-mockery
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mockeries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mockery

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English moquerie, from Middle French; equivalent to mock + -ery

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Explanation

The noun mockery means ridicule or making a fool out of someone. Mockery of your history teacher is unwise just before she grades your mid-term exams. Mockery is making fun of or mocking someone or something. The act of mockery often involves copying someone's behavior or speech, making it look absurd, like a parody. For example, comedians often get laughs with mockery, by pretending to be famous politicians and exaggerating the way they talk or gesture. The expression "to make a mockery of" means to make something appear foolish or absurd, even if that’s not the intent — like a trial that “makes a mockery of justice.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mockery mockeries

Some of those videos were subsequently shared on social media and led to cases of mockery or hateful messages, leading to the Paris public prosecutor opening an investigation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Charlie Kirk had been barely put to rest before public attitude toward him shifted from bipartisan horror and outrage at his killing to, frankly, mockery.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

In a statement, the Army Cadet League of Canada, a civilian organisation that supports the programme, said it strongly condemns "any online harassment, or mockery of cadets' achievements".

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Why not create a boogeyman and blame them for making a mockery of competitive balance?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

He didn’t let her see his sympathy, of course, but hid it behind a mask of mockery and indifference, just as she hid her despair behind rage.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Banksy often invokes everyday British life, with references to the Tesco supermarket chain and mockeries of Parliament and the royal family.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 13, 2022

Mena believes the Black Paintings to be mockeries in the same spirit – cartoons he drew around himself as if the walls were “big sheets of paper”.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 30, 2019

Boston Dynamics’ creatures are like cruel, surreal techno-parodies of organic life, absurdist mockeries of living things.

From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2013

Which proves my point about who, exactly, makes mockeries of these things.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2010

If the Soul were here," he added bitterly, "he would look at these glittering mockeries as though they were harbingers of eternal hope.

From The Divine Adventure Volume IV by Fiona Macleod

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Related Words

• contempt
• derision
• disdain
• ridicule
• scorn

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