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

2

: 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

3

a

: a counterfeit appearance : imitation

if it was not a man it was a huge and grotesque mockery of man

—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

Synonyms

• caricature
• cartoon
• farce
• joke
• parody
• sham
• travesty

Examples of mockery in a Sentence

His kind of personality invites mockery.

the children's cruel mockery of each other

Recent Examples on the Web

And the spotlight is getting particularly bright for Rohit with one Australian tabloid, seemingly striving to shift away from resembling a serious newspaper in an apparent attempt to rebrand as a satirical publication, particularly scathing with its mockery. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Donald Trump Hair Photo Mocked By Lydia Patrick Life & Trends Reporter 33 His meme-worthy hair has long been a source of fascination and mockery. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024

The Olympics opening ceremony faced widespread right-wing backlash, largely due to a scene featuring drag artists and dancers which conservative Christian groups claimed was a mockery of their religion. —James Factora, Them, 29 Oct. 2024

After liberal social media influencer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. was discovered to have removed pronouns from her X bio after Trump's election win, the congresswoman became the subject of a viral mockery campaign by conservative and satirical users. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mockery

• self-mockery

Kids 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