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

Gutfeld, who will headline the Ford Idaho Center on May 2, 2026, literally traffics in what many consider unkind mockery. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2025

Reactions online ranged from anger to mockery. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025

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

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