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 EliotSynonyms
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
Nancy recalls one female character in an Iannucci movie suffering bleeding teeth, a source of mockery for other characters.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
And many people in the Justice Department, as well as legal scholars, called the pardons an unprecedented and dangerous use of the executive power that makes a mockery of years of work by FBI agents, prosecutors and federal judges, some of whom the president appointed.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2025
Selfless agents of the people would avoid making a mockery of the vetting process.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
His eyes are close set and dark, with a glitter of mockery.
—Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mockery 
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John Baldoni, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
And many people in the Justice Department, as well as legal scholars, called the pardons an unprecedented and dangerous use of the executive power that makes a mockery of years of work by FBI agents, prosecutors and federal judges, some of whom the president appointed.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2025
Selfless agents of the people would avoid making a mockery of the vetting process.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
His eyes are close set and dark, with a glitter of mockery.
—Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mockery
Dictionary Entries Near mockery
Cite this Entry
“Mockery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery. Accessed 30 Jan. 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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