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

When Universal Pictures split its musical adaptation of "Wicked" into two films, the move was derided by some critics as a cynical -- if spectacularly successful -- money grab.

Read more on Barron's

For their big solos the principals tend to plant themselves front and center to sing—a style derided in opera as “park-and-bark.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Before Tesla voters ratified Elon Musk’s trillion dollar pay package, the Tesla CEO derided proxy advisors as “corporate terrorists.”

Read more on Barron's

This shift came amid political pressure, particularly from far-right and conservative politicians such as Sarkozy, who have often derided the justice system as too soft and sluggish.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The last few weeks have been particularly hurtful, she said, when she sees commenters on social media deriding food stamp recipients as “lazy.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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