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

The claim was swiftly derided by experts who said the main study cited by proponents of this theory was strewn with errors and it was yet another example of Kennedy's penchant for "pseudoscience."

Read more on Barron's

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

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.

Read more on Salon

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.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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