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deride

verb
de·​ride | \ di-ˈrÄ«d How to pronounce deride (audio) , dÄ“-\
derided; deriding

Definition of deride

transitive verb

1 : to laugh at or insult contemptuously got derided by a carnival clown
2 : to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule or criticism politicians deriding their opponents : to express a lack of respect or approval of were derided as the weaker sex
Other Words from deride Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about deride

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Other Words from deride

derider noun
deridingly \ di-​ˈrÄ«-​diÅ‹-​lÄ“ How to pronounce deridingly (audio) , dÄ“-​ \ adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for deride

ridicule, deride, mock, taunt mean to make an object of laughter of. ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling. consistently ridiculed everything she said deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule. derided their efforts to start their own business mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference. youngsters began to mock the helpless wino taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge. hometown fans taunted the visiting team

Did You Know?

When deride was borrowed into English in the 16th century, it came to us by combining the prefix de- with ridēre, a Latin verb meaning "to laugh." Ridēre is also the ancestor of the English words risible ("laughable") and ridiculous. Of course, English has a number of words meaning "to laugh at unkindly"; in addition to deride, we have ridicule, mock, and taunt. Deride suggests laughter loaded with contemptuousness or bitterness, whereas ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling ("consistently ridiculed everything she said"). Mock implies scorn often ironically expressed by mimicry or sham deference ("mocking the speaker's impassioned tones"). Taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge ("hometown fans taunted the visiting team").

Examples of deride in a Sentence

my brothers derided our efforts, but were forced to eat their words when we won first place

Recent Examples on the Web

 The genre as a whole was long derided as juvenile, the stuff of fantasy. — David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, "Inside the archives — and mind — of sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick," 16 Aug. 2019 Somewhere between a phone and a tablet, the Note was derided at the time for being comically huge. — Lauren Goode, WIRED, "Samsung’s New Galaxy Note Now Comes in Two Different Sizes," 7 Aug. 2019 Five years ago, having dozed through the rise of social media and smartphones, it was derided as a doddery has-been. — The Economist, "What Microsoft’s revival can teach other tech companies," 25 July 2019 At the same time, a lot of the music was derided for super homophobic and racist reasons. — Liz Ohanesian, Billboard, "Holy Ghost! Takes Us To the Disco on 'Work', Their First Album in 6 Years: Interview," 21 June 2019 For comparison, here's the original: This fight scene has often been derided as boring, awkward, and unfitting a Star Wars franchise that would eventually have an evil cyborg who could wield four lightsabers simultaneously. — Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, "This Reimagined Star Wars Fight Scene Is Amazing—but Mostly Makes Me Sad," 8 May 2019 But his inflammatory words deriding Mexicans have left Mexican officials concerned and uncomfortable. — Dallas News, "Mexico vows solidarity, talks tough as the nation copes with the El Paso massacre," 6 Aug. 2019 Bolsonaro has repeatedly derided environmental laws as being a barrier to progress and has criticized enforcement officials, says Maurício Voivodic, who heads the Brazilian branch of the environmental advocacy group WWF, which is in Brasilia. — Jeff Tollefson, Scientific American, "Populist President Sparks Unprecedented Crisis for Brazilian Science," 3 Aug. 2019 President Trump has set the tone for Republicans by deriding climate change, using White House resources to undermine science and avoiding even uttering the phrase. — Lisa Friedman, New York Times, "Climate Could Be an Electoral Time Bomb, Republican Strategists Fear," 2 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deride.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of deride

circa 1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for deride

Latin deridēre, from de- + ridēre to laugh

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More Definitions for deride

deride

verb
How to pronounce deride (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of deride

formal : to talk or write about (someone or something) in a very critical or insulting way : to say that (someone or something) is ridiculous or has no value

See the full definition for deride in the English Language Learners Dictionary

deride

verb
de·​ride | \ di-ˈrÄ«d How to pronounce deride (audio) \
derided; deriding

Kids Definition of deride

: to laugh at in scorn : make fun of : ridicule People once derided the idea that man could fly.

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More from Merriam-Webster on deride

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with deride

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deride

Spanish Central: Translation of deride

Nglish: Translation of deride for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of deride for Arabic Speakers

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