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
Four professional franchises that play home games within a couple of downtown blocks of each other—the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Red Wings—have together risen from national mockery to playoff contention in the past few years.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 12 Mar. 2025
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
And after meeting Native Americans at Jazz Fest, Melancon realized many felt they were being made a mockery of.
—Harriet Shepherd, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2025
While other girls snicker when Lucia admits she’s never had her period, the queen bee graciously defends her from mockery.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
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Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 12 Mar. 2025
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
And after meeting Native Americans at Jazz Fest, Melancon realized many felt they were being made a mockery of.
—Harriet Shepherd, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2025
While other girls snicker when Lucia admits she’s never had her period, the queen bee graciously defends her from mockery.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 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 22 Mar. 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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