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

Critics say the practice, which is done by both Democrats and Republicans, makes a mockery of campaign contribution limits and obscures a candidate’s real donors. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 29 Mar. 2026

Just like a 2009 incident, Woods, who been hosting the Genesis Invitational at Rivera County Club in Pacific Palisades over that weekend, was never charged in the 2021 crash – which was deemed an accident to much mockery. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026

By the way, because Vidal can spare no form of mockery, we are introduced to George Washington as a man who walks with an ungainly waddle. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Arkansas has become a leader in this anti-democracy celebration, with a Legislature, governor, attorney general, and state Supreme Court not only ready, willing, and able, but downright eager to enact, implement, defend, and uphold legislation designed to make a mockery of our official motto. —Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 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