as in disdains
the making of unkind jokes as a way of showing one's scorn for someone or something
the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridicule
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in mocks
to make (someone or something) the object of unkind laughter
the term "big bang theory" was originally coined to ridicule the belief that the universe was created by a giant explosion
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ridicules
Jeanette Tran,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
Back in their teenage years, Lexi’s older sister Andrea is depicted as a mean girl who ridicules Catherine mercilessly.
—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Then there’s the loud kind, where the audience openly ridicules you.
—
Adrienne Lafrance,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.
—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Though Claudius ridicules Hamlet for his emotional vulnerability, his grief drives him to avenge his father and emerge as a hero.
—
Jeanette Tran,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
Back in their teenage years, Lexi’s older sister Andrea is depicted as a mean girl who ridicules Catherine mercilessly.
—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Then there’s the loud kind, where the audience openly ridicules you.
—
Adrienne Lafrance,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.
—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ridicules
Verb
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One of the moments in the musical that caused the most laughter and claps from the audience was the final song, which mocks the idea of using violence as a form of protest rather than joining a movement or focusing on policy.
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The group openly mocks Jesus Christ and many Christian and Catholic traditions.
Verb
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The move comes days after Havana unveiled its boldest economic liberalization in decades, which Washington derides as superficial.
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Her husband manipulates her, her best friend hates her, her sister derides her; her entire existence is thin and precarious.
Cite this Entry
“Ridicules.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ridicules. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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