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Laughter may or may not be the best medicine—your mileage may vary—but it’s essential to understanding the verb deride. To deride someone or something is not merely to criticize or insult them, but to lower them (or attempt to lower them) in others’ esteem by making them appear ridiculous or worthy of mockery. This meaning is reflected in the word’s origins: deride comes from the Latin verb deridēre, a combination of the prefix de- (“to reduce or make lower”) and ridēre, meaning “to laugh.” Ridēre echoes in other English words as well, including ridicule and ridiculous. Ridicule functions as both verb (“to make fun of”) and noun (“the act of making fun of”), while ridiculous describes what arouses or deserves ridicule or mockery. More obscure than either of these ridēre descendants is the medical term risorius, which refers to a narrow band of muscle fibers in the face that reach to the corners of the mouth to make smiling possible. One does not necessarily need one’s risorius to deride something—people in the act of deriding may appear quite angry, even—but inspiring the bitter, contemptuous laughter of those within earshot is often the goal.
Examples of deride in a Sentence
Massimo Calabresi, Time, 26 June 2025
His heart-on-sleeve rumination about aging seems premature, but the authenticity from a guy who released his high-stakes album a few days before turning 23 shouldn’t be derided.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 22 June 2025
In a statement, Kobach derided the ruling and promised to appeal the deicsion to the Kansas Supreme Court.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2025
But a growing body of research—much of which the industry has tried to debunk and deride—suggests that ethanol actually may not provide the benefits that policies require.
—ArsTechnica, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deride
Cite this Entry
“Deride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deride. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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