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derision

[dih-rizh-uh n]
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noun

ridicule; mockery: The inept performance elicited derision from the audience.
an object of ridicule.

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RELATED WORDS

mockery, ridicule, scorn, laughter, contempt, disdain, laughingstock, dump, scoffing, joke, dig, satire, slap, contumely, butt, slam, jest, crack, put-down, comeback

Nearby words

  1. derestrict,
  2. dergue,
  3. deride,
  4. deringer,
  5. derisible,
  6. derisive,
  7. derisively,
  8. derisory,
  9. deriv.,
  10. derivate

Origin of derision

1350–1400; Middle English derisioun < Old French derision < Late Latin dērīsiōn- (stem of dērīsiō), equivalent to Latin dērīs(us) mocked (past participle of dērīdēre; see deride) + -iōn- -ion
Related formsde·ris·i·ble [dih-riz-uh-buh l] /dɪˈrɪz ə bəl/, adjectivenon·de·ris·i·ble, adjectiveun·de·ris·i·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for derision

British Dictionary definitions for derision

derision

noun

the act of deriding; mockery; scorn
an object of mockery or scorn

Word Origin for derision

C15: from Late Latin dērīsiō, from Latin dērīsus; see deride
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for derision

derision

n.

c.1400, from Old French derision "derision, mockery" (13c.), from Latin derisionem (nominative derisio), noun of action from past participle stem of deridere "ridicule," from de- "down" (see de-) + ridere "to laugh."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper