deride

American  

[dih-rahyd] / dɪˈraɪd /

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

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deride British  

/ dɪˈraɪd /

verb

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

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Related Words

See ridicule.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of deride

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

Example Sentences

Without those tools or billions to manage, individual investors, derided by Wall Street as the “dumb money,” had to rely more on gut instinct and emotion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wolves have since recolonized the state — a development hailed by conservationists as an ecological win but derided by many ranchers whose cattle are slaughtered by the skilled pack hunters.

From Los Angeles Times

After Martin Scorsese famously derided superhero movies as “theme parks” and “not cinema,” James Cameron is doubling down on his somewhat different approach.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cameron has always been derided for his dialogue, but there’s no denying that he writes lines that stick.

From Los Angeles Times

Kenyon’s dig at “uproarious pedantry” nods to James’s intellectual pretensions, which some courtiers derided—even though a learned monarch seems preferable to an ignorant one.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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