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 EliotExamples of mockery in a Sentence
His kind of personality invites mockery.
the children's cruel mockery of each other
Recent Examples on the Web
But watching such a desperate mismatch at a competition billed as the 32 best teams in the world makes a mockery of that claim.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Just a week ago, the Roadrunners made a mockery of the Austin Regional — scoring 26 runs across three games — and took down No. 2 Texas twice on the Longhorns’ home turf.
—Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
In the face of mockery for repeatedly backing down from previous big tariff announcements, Trump is increasing tariffs on aluminum and steel imports to 50%.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Andy has appointed himself the protector of his younger stepsister, Piper (Sora Wong) — a role that has included everything from protecting her from other girls’ mockery to hiding the fact that their father has been abusing him.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
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Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Just a week ago, the Roadrunners made a mockery of the Austin Regional — scoring 26 runs across three games — and took down No. 2 Texas twice on the Longhorns’ home turf.
—Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
In the face of mockery for repeatedly backing down from previous big tariff announcements, Trump is increasing tariffs on aluminum and steel imports to 50%.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Andy has appointed himself the protector of his younger stepsister, Piper (Sora Wong) — a role that has included everything from protecting her from other girls’ mockery to hiding the fact that their father has been abusing him.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
Cite this Entry
“Mockery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery. Accessed 30 Jun. 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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