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Where does derision come from?
Derision shares part of its origin with the words ridiculous and risible; all may be traced to the Latin verb ridēre (“to laugh”). From the time derision entered the English language in the 14th century, it has suggested laughter, albeit of a mocking or scornful variety. It may also be used to indicate an object of scornful laughter—that is, a laughingstock—as in the line from Lamentations 3:14 of the King James Version of the bible: “I was a derision to all my people.”
Examples of derision in a Sentence
My remarks were anodyne, but some other snippets of marginalia were shrieks of derision …
—
Paul Theroux, Granta 44, Summer 1993
Britain had its boffins, working researchers subject to the derision of intellectual gentlemen.
—James Gleick, Genius: The Life & Science of Richard Feynman, 1992
… discussion, laughter, lecturing, but no shouts or threats, no yardsticks banging for silence, no words of shame or derision.
—Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991
The whole idea of Camelot excites derision. In fact, I am sure Kennedy would have derided it himself. No one at the time ever thought of his Washington as Camelot.
—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Cycles of American History, 1986
One of the students laughed in derision at my error.
The team's awful record has made it an object of derision in the league.
“Nerd” is a term of derision.
Paul Theroux, Granta 44, Summer 1993
Britain had its boffins, working researchers subject to the derision of intellectual gentlemen.
—James Gleick, Genius: The Life & Science of Richard Feynman, 1992
… discussion, laughter, lecturing, but no shouts or threats, no yardsticks banging for silence, no words of shame or derision.
—Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991
The whole idea of Camelot excites derision. In fact, I am sure Kennedy would have derided it himself. No one at the time ever thought of his Washington as Camelot.
—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Cycles of American History, 1986
One of the students laughed in derision at my error.
The team's awful record has made it an object of derision in the league.
“Nerd” is a term of derision.
Recent Examples on the Web
Previous statements doubting Venezuela’s sovereignty over the past 25 years have been met with immediate derision from senior government officials, including the president.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
No Liverpool or Manchester United manager has faced derision or hostility on anything like the scale that, to cite just two examples, Ange Postecoglou and Liam Rosenior faced within weeks of taking over at Nottingham Forest and Chelsea this season.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 11 May 2026
But those days might also inspire plenty of derision from critics, especially on the conservative side, still furious over school closures and other lockdowns that shuttered businesses.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 6 May 2026
At the time, Turner’s decision was met with derision around the majors.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for derision
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Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
No Liverpool or Manchester United manager has faced derision or hostility on anything like the scale that, to cite just two examples, Ange Postecoglou and Liam Rosenior faced within weeks of taking over at Nottingham Forest and Chelsea this season.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 11 May 2026
But those days might also inspire plenty of derision from critics, especially on the conservative side, still furious over school closures and other lockdowns that shuttered businesses.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 6 May 2026
At the time, Turner’s decision was met with derision around the majors.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for derision
Cite this Entry
“Derision.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derision. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
derision
noun
de·ri·sion
di-ˈrizh-ən 
: scornful ridicule
derisive
adjective
-ˈrī-siv
derisively
adverb
derisiveness
noun
derisory
adjective
-ˈrī-sə-rē,
-zə-
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