mockery
Americannoun
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ridicule, contempt, or derision.
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a derisive, imitative action or speech.
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a subject or occasion of derision.
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an imitation, especially of a ridiculous or unsatisfactory kind.
- Synonyms:
- mimicry
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a mocking pretense; travesty.
a mockery of justice.
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something absurdly or offensively inadequate or unfitting.
noun
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ridicule, contempt, or derision
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a derisive action or comment
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an imitation or pretence, esp a derisive one
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a person or thing that is mocked
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a person, thing, or action that is inadequate or disappointing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mockery
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English moquerie, from Middle French; equivalent to mock + -ery
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.”
Vocabulary lists containing mockery
"The Tell-Tale Heart," Vocabulary from the short story
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"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She said Lecka's sentencing left her "utterly dumfounded" and "makes a whole mockery" of the UK justice system.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
It isn’t the only paternal prediction that Bernstein’s life would make a mockery of, at least in his telling of it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Then he dismissed her with a Truth Social post where he used the praise once again, making it feel, especially if one were to read it aloud in his voice, like mockery.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
However, the “Hannah Montana” star did not end her mockery there—going on to accuse Cooper of feigning innocence about the proximity of their properties.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
Archie asked, feigning surprise, trying to keep any trace of mockery out of his voice.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
