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Where does derision come from?
Derision shares part of its origin with the words ridiculous and risible; all may be traced to the Latin verb ridēre (“to laugh”). From the time derision entered the English language in the 14th century, it has suggested laughter, albeit of a mocking or scornful variety. It may also be used to indicate an object of scornful laughter—that is, a laughingstock—as in the line from Lamentations 3:14 of the King James Version of the bible: “I was a derision to all my people.”
Examples of derision in a Sentence
My remarks were anodyne, but some other snippets of marginalia were shrieks of derision …
—
Paul Theroux, Granta 44, Summer 1993
Britain had its boffins, working researchers subject to the derision of intellectual gentlemen.
—James Gleick, Genius: The Life & Science of Richard Feynman, 1992
… discussion, laughter, lecturing, but no shouts or threats, no yardsticks banging for silence, no words of shame or derision.
—Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991
The whole idea of Camelot excites derision. In fact, I am sure Kennedy would have derided it himself. No one at the time ever thought of his Washington as Camelot.
—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Cycles of American History, 1986
One of the students laughed in derision at my error.
The team's awful record has made it an object of derision in the league.
“Nerd” is a term of derision.
Paul Theroux, Granta 44, Summer 1993
Britain had its boffins, working researchers subject to the derision of intellectual gentlemen.
—James Gleick, Genius: The Life & Science of Richard Feynman, 1992
… discussion, laughter, lecturing, but no shouts or threats, no yardsticks banging for silence, no words of shame or derision.
—Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991
The whole idea of Camelot excites derision. In fact, I am sure Kennedy would have derided it himself. No one at the time ever thought of his Washington as Camelot.
—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Cycles of American History, 1986
One of the students laughed in derision at my error.
The team's awful record has made it an object of derision in the league.
“Nerd” is a term of derision.
Recent Examples on the Web
But with the derision came waves of real praise, like Nirvana’s frontman citing their album in his journals as one of his favorite records, and the demand to participate in tribute concerts and, for Dorothy, even to record new material.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Two of the tributes to stars who died in the past year, Rob Reiner and Robert Redford, referenced their politics, and their ability to have an impact even if their activism was prone to derision on the right.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026
As the years went on, many challenges were increasingly viewed with derision, including a photo shoot in which contestants were made up to be different races and another in which a contestant whose mother had been shot and paralyzed was made to pose as a gunshot victim.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Martin’s decision to bury the DNC’s findings invited suspicion and derision.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derision
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Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Two of the tributes to stars who died in the past year, Rob Reiner and Robert Redford, referenced their politics, and their ability to have an impact even if their activism was prone to derision on the right.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026
As the years went on, many challenges were increasingly viewed with derision, including a photo shoot in which contestants were made up to be different races and another in which a contestant whose mother had been shot and paralyzed was made to pose as a gunshot victim.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Martin’s decision to bury the DNC’s findings invited suspicion and derision.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derision
Cite this Entry
“Derision.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derision. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
derision
noun
de·ri·sion
di-ˈrizh-ən 
: scornful ridicule
derisive
adjective
-ˈrī-siv
derisively
adverb
derisiveness
noun
derisory
adjective
-ˈrī-sə-rē,
-zə-
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