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.

—Oliver St. John Gogarty

3

a

: a counterfeit appearance : imitation

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

—Edgar Rice 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 of mockery

• parody
• joke
• caricature
• sham

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

The court systems have made such a mockery of roster construction that Sports Illustrated went so far as to create a tracker showing who can and cannot play and how each case was decided. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2026

Beyond the truck becoming a major target for vandalism and open mockery, the vehicle has also been haunted by near-constant technical issues and has been recalled in the US a whopping eleven times over its short production run. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 10 Nov. 2026

When members of the court distribute invitations to a Royal Ball, Lilith and Margot are left off the list, to the gleeful mockery of Priscilla. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2026

While Lakshmana’s actions are presented as ways of protecting Sita, the mockery and teasing make the disfigurement hard to be seen as purely defensive and protective. — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mockery

• self-mockery

Rhymes for mockery

• crockery
• rockery

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