mockery

noun

mock·​ery ˈmä-k(ə-)rē How to pronounce mockery (audio)
ˈmȯ-
plural mockeries
1
: insulting or contemptuous action or speech : derision
laying himself open to the jeers and mockeries of his rebellious subjectsE. A. Freeman
2
: a subject of laughter, derision, or sport
making him turn himself into a merry mockery of all he had once held dearO. St. John Gogarty
3
a
: a counterfeit appearance : imitation
if it was not a man it was a huge and grotesque mockery of manE. 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 mockeryGeorge Eliot

Examples of mockery in a Sentence

His kind of personality invites mockery. the children's cruel mockery of each other
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Yes, the courts are technically public for those who have the time and wherewithal to travel to the court (and can compete for the tiny handful of public seats for the Trump trial), but the rest of us have no way to see them, making a mockery of the Sixth Amendment’s promise of a public trial. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025 The left-of-center leaders of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia have just made a mockery of their claims to support democracy. Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 11 Jan. 2025 And that mockery, in turn, influenced the way Democrats have presented themselves to voters. Adam Nagourney, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025 Loyal listeners were sorely disappointed, lashing out at Spotify with memes and mockery. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mockery 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mockery was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mockery

Cite this Entry

“Mockery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

mockery

noun
mock·​ery ˈmäk-(ə-)rē How to pronounce mockery (audio)
ˈmȯk-
plural mockeries
1
: insulting action or speech
2
: someone or something that is laughed at
3
: a ridiculous or poor imitation

More from Merriam-Webster on mockery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!