as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the derisive performances of some of the singers on the talent show
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Recent Examples of derisive
While speaking to Jay Shetty on his podcast On Purpose in an episode released Wednesday, Watson spoke about the personal, derisive comments Rowling has made against her.
—
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 25 Sep. 2025
Few seemed to take seriously an American president who appeared unsure of himself and who offered outlandish claims that might have worked with his political base, but from the U.N. assembly invited derisive laughter.
—Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2025
The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative.
—Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Black companies objected to this derisive statement.
—Essence, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derisive
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 25 Sep. 2025
Few seemed to take seriously an American president who appeared unsure of himself and who offered outlandish claims that might have worked with his political base, but from the U.N. assembly invited derisive laughter.
—Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2025
The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative.
—Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Black companies objected to this derisive statement.
—Essence, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derisive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derisive
Adjective
-
Because that's f---ing ridiculous.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
By now, Americans have gone numb to the ridiculous statements of the president of the United States.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Pepsi’s chart is absurd and someone’s going to look stupid when the momentum fades.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t feel silly asking at the ski shop.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Walker offers this diagnosis himself, leeringly dismissing Pearl as a silly mommy, awash with hormones, mildly and minorly hysterical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This kind of Jim Crow–style dehumanization is pathetic and a disgrace to the office.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But maybe Johnson isn’t stupid.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Such as the one where the candidate remarked that some white rural Americans were stupid and racist.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derisive. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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