ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.
consistently ridiculed everything she said
deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.
derided their efforts to start their own business
mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.
the other kids mocked the way he laughed
taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.
hometown fans taunted the visiting team
Examples of ridicule in a Sentence
Noun
She didn't show anyone her artwork for fear of ridicule.
the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridiculeVerb
The other kids ridiculed him for the way he dressed.
They ridiculed all of her suggestions.
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Noun
The idea that New York City is finally putting its trash in cans, long after most urban civilizations have done so, has led to a fair amount of ridicule.—Emma G. Fitzsimmons, New York Times, 2 June 2025 The rampant skepticism of Cassie and the ridicule of her pain reflect a societal conditioning that denies Black women genuine victimhood.—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025
Verb
Videos of him saying that have been ridiculed by the anti-war right this week – one of them, a prediction that removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq would weaken Iran, was conclusively proven wrong.—David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 June 2025 But while others might see something to ridicule, Margarita sees something entirely different: a way to belong.—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for ridicule
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French or Latin; French, from Latin ridiculum jest
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