mocking

American  

[mok-ing] / ˈmɒk ɪŋ /

adjective

1. showing ridicule, contempt, or derision.

   Elsewhere along the parade route, small bands of protesters held mocking signs.

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noun

1. contemptuous, derisive, and usually imitative speech or action.

   Jake just turned his face away and took the mocking and ridicule his brothers dished out.

Other Word Forms

• mockingly
  adverb
• self-mocking
  adjective
• unmocking
  adjective
• unmockingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of mocking

First recorded in 1400–50; mock ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective; mock ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun

Explanation

When you talk to or about someone in a mocking tone, you're making fun of them in a nasty, mean way. But if you're a comedy writer or political satirist, a mocking attitude is a tool of your trade. If you're writing a skit about the outrageous proposal some politician has just made, you'll write it in a mocking tone, imitating the politician's voice and mannerisms in a way that makes him look as ridiculous as you think he is. Seen any mockingbirds lately? That's the bird that sings almost nonstop, imitating the calls of other birds.

Example Sentences

And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

“No, no, no, please, president,” Trump said in a mocking tone imitating her voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Anti-racism campaigners criticised the move for mocking the Black Lives Matter movement.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

The former “Cosby Show” actor became the subject of viral job-shaming, with critics mocking him for working retail decades after his television success.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

His enemies, mocking him, put it about that he was working on a flying machine, and indeed he admitted that the thought had crossed his mind.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• derisive
• sarcastic