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
The long-standing lèse-majesté laws, which criminalizes criticism of the monarchy, is still used to intimidate and punish activists, making a mockery of any notion that Thailand is a land where speech rights are protected.
—Jeffrey Wasserstrom, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025
Interestingly, this meme has been somewhat bipartisan, starting as a harsh mockery of Vance, but quickly embraced by Vance’s supporters as an endearing way to pay tribute to their Vice President.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
The Democratic members’ new video, which has been met with mockery online, is set to the character selection music from the game Super Smash Bros.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
Artists’ attempts at activism often meet mockery on social media.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
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Jeffrey Wasserstrom, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025
Interestingly, this meme has been somewhat bipartisan, starting as a harsh mockery of Vance, but quickly embraced by Vance’s supporters as an endearing way to pay tribute to their Vice President.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
The Democratic members’ new video, which has been met with mockery online, is set to the character selection music from the game Super Smash Bros.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
Artists’ attempts at activism often meet mockery on social media.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 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 17 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
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