mockery
noun
mock·ery
ˈmä-k(ə-)rē 
ˈmȯ-
plural mockeries
1
: insulting or contemptuous action or speech : derision
laying himself open to the jeers and mockeries of his rebellious subjects—
E. A. Freeman
E. A. Freeman2
: a subject of laughter, derision, or sport
making him turn himself into a merry mockery of all he had once held dear—O. St. John Gogarty
O. St. John Gogarty3
a
: a counterfeit appearance : imitation
if it was not a man it was a huge and grotesque mockery of man—E. R. Burroughs
E. R. Burroughs
b
: an insincere, contemptible, or impertinent (see impertinent sense 1a) imitation
makes a mockery of justice
4
: something ridiculously or impudently (see impudent sense 1) unsuitable
in her bitterness she felt that all rejoicing was mockery—George Eliot
George EliotExamples of mockery in a Sentence
His kind of personality invites mockery.
the children's cruel mockery of each other
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, our aim is to dive a little bit deeper into a very particular reaction to this event that some are displaying online: celebratory mockery.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Trump and Vance thrive on spectacle and mockery, while Zelensky continues to focus on survival and resilience.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Old friendships like the one between Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate are already starting to crumble, as their conversations — while bracketed with ardent declarations of affection for one another — consist almost entirely of criticism, mockery, and contempt.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
Fiona Shaw, as the needling mother who controls her daughter with a combination of martyrdom and mockery, is truly extraordinary.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Callum Booth, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Trump and Vance thrive on spectacle and mockery, while Zelensky continues to focus on survival and resilience.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Old friendships like the one between Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate are already starting to crumble, as their conversations — while bracketed with ardent declarations of affection for one another — consist almost entirely of criticism, mockery, and contempt.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
Fiona Shaw, as the needling mother who controls her daughter with a combination of martyrdom and mockery, is truly extraordinary.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
Cite this Entry
“Mockery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mockery
noun
mock·ery
ˈmäk-(ə-)rē
ˈmȯk-
plural mockeries
1
: insulting action or speech
2
: someone or something that is laughed at
3
: a ridiculous or poor imitation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share