ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.
consistently ridiculed everything she said
deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.
derided their efforts to start their own business
mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.
youngsters began to mock the helpless wino
taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.
hometown fans taunted the visiting team
Examples of ridicule in a Sentence
Noun
She didn't show anyone her artwork for fear of ridicule.
the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridiculeVerb
The other kids ridiculed him for the way he dressed.
They ridiculed all of her suggestions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Image The White House’s move against individual settlers, a first by an American administration, was met with a combination of anger and ridicule by ministers in Netanyahu’s government.—Mark Mazzetti Jonathan Davis Anna Diamond David Mason, New York Times, 16 May 2024 Despite industry ridicule, his formulaic send-ups made money, among them Women in Cages (1971), The Velvet Vampire (1971) and Night Call Nurses (1972).—Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for ridicule
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ridicule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French or Latin; French, from Latin ridiculum jest
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