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Laughter may or may not be the best medicine—your mileage may vary—but it’s essential to understanding the verb deride. To deride someone or something is not merely to criticize or insult them, but to lower them (or attempt to lower them) in others’ esteem by making them appear ridiculous or worthy of mockery. This meaning is reflected in the word’s origins: deride comes from the Latin verb deridēre, a combination of the prefix de- (“to reduce or make lower”) and ridēre, meaning “to laugh.” Ridēre echoes in other English words as well, including ridicule and ridiculous. Ridicule functions as both verb (“to make fun of”) and noun (“the act of making fun of”), while ridiculous describes what arouses or deserves ridicule or mockery. More obscure than either of these ridēre descendants is the medical term risorius, which refers to a narrow band of muscle fibers in the face that reach to the corners of the mouth to make smiling possible. One does not necessarily need one’s risorius to deride something—people in the act of deriding may appear quite angry, even—but inspiring the bitter, contemptuous laughter of those within earshot is often the goal.
Synonyms
Examples of deride in a Sentence
George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
At minimum, the show serves as an hour to deride the maps, magic walls and needles that will inevitably rule the night.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Polizzi also sent links to other comments by Hovde deriding clean energy mandates and tax credits.
—Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2024
There, the country’s de facto leader has publicly derided the opposition as elections loomed for trying to drag the country into Ukraine-like conditions.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near deride
Cite this Entry
“Deride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deride. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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