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

• 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

Tabloid fodder surrounding the 73-year-old’s relationship with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson has given way to mockery over the 2-3 Tar Heels’ lopsided losses to TCU (48-14), UCF (34-9) and Clemson (38-10). —The Athletic Colleges Staff, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

Many of the year’s selections also lean into humor, absurdism and even mockery to get their messages across. —Elaina Patton, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025

Trump’s remarks prompted criticism and mockery on social media, with some noting that the claims had previously been debunked. —Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025

True to the sentiment of the original family-friendly, comedy show — based on an 8-year-old orphan boy who lives in a neighborhood courtyard in Mexico — the over-three-minute-long skit was more of a tribute than a mockery. —Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2025

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