1
as in joke
a person or thing that is made fun of
after yet another last place finish, the team became nothing more than a derision to all but its most loyal fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ridicule
the making of unkind jokes as a way of showing one's scorn for someone or something
their absurd behavior on the awards show became a source of derision for comedians
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derision
Ceramics has long endured derision as minor, domestic, feminine, and biblically clichéd—a functional craft, subordinate in the hierarchy of creation to the masculinized sculpture.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2025
Ladapo’s potent derision of vaccine mandates sparked a near-instant deluge of reaction and vigorous disagreement, including from infectious disease experts.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
The Twitterverse was still taking shape at the time, so widespread snark and predisposition to derision was not yet pop culture’s default setting.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Sep. 2025
Its sneering tone of youthful derision took on new dimensions and a chilling sense of pathos when sung by a 75-year-old musician approaching his final chapter in life.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derision
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2025
Ladapo’s potent derision of vaccine mandates sparked a near-instant deluge of reaction and vigorous disagreement, including from infectious disease experts.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
The Twitterverse was still taking shape at the time, so widespread snark and predisposition to derision was not yet pop culture’s default setting.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Sep. 2025
Its sneering tone of youthful derision took on new dimensions and a chilling sense of pathos when sung by a 75-year-old musician approaching his final chapter in life.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derision
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derision
Noun
-
There’s a joke in here somewhere.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Some Sora users depicted King making crude jokes and other inappropriate content.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With this song, YOASOBI sings about continuing to dance on stage and committing to their roles, even without applause or in the face of ridicule.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
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But things soon turned acrimonious following the birth of their two sons, Preston and Jayden, leading to years of infighting over custody out of concern for Spears’ mental health and his ridicule as a public figure.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Then, the scammers build fake profiles on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, which includes sending friend requests to people in the target's social media network to give the appearance of mutual friends.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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Ukraine has long sought more air defense as Russia has heavily relied on drone and missile assaults to pound civilian targets, including residential buildings, schools as well as maternity and children’s hospitals, since the onslaught of the war.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Don’t let the success of KPop Demon Hunters at the box office fool you, Netflix is still Netflix.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
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Sabonis and Zach LaVine are fringe All-Stars most seasons, Keegan Murray is a solid wing starter who shoots and defends, DeRozan can still get midrange buckets and shot-fake fools into heaps of fouls, and Malik Monk is electric in a sixth-man role.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derision.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derision. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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