deride

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deride distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of deride are mock, ridicule, and taunt. While all these words mean "to make an object of laughter of," deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.

derided their efforts to start their own business

In what contexts can mock take the place of deride?

The words mock and deride can be used in similar contexts, but mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.

youngsters began to mock the helpless wino

When can ridicule be used instead of deride?

While the synonyms ridicule and deride are close in meaning, ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.

consistently ridiculed everything she said

When might taunt be a better fit than deride?

The words taunt and deride are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.

hometown fans taunted the visiting team

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deride And that gave him some kind of legitimacy after 40 years of agony, derided by the music press. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2025 The Israeli Foreign Ministry derided the voyage in a statement on X, characterizing it as a publicity stunt. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2025 Trump on Tuesday switched to tougher tactics, deriding the holdout Republican senators to get on board. Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025 Austen, though perfectly aware that many silly novels are written—and that many silly tropes appear even in good novels—is far from deriding novels in themselves as silly. Adelle Waldman, New Yorker, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for deride
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deride
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
Verb
  • In September 2024, she was mocked online after releasing a single.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • Tonally, the show is all over the place, laying on the moody theatrics one moment, mocking Dave’s writerly pretenses the next.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deride.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deride. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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