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
Proponents of the fintech industry call the arrangement Banking-as-a-Service, while the detractors, primarily those concerned with the safety and soundness of the overall financial system, have used the derisive name rent-a-charter.
—
Gene A. Grant Ii, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
No matter its critics or the accumulation of derisive labels—corporate feminism, girlboss feminism, lean-in feminism, white feminism—a feminism of self-interested striving is the order of the day.
—Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024
Montagu published a substantial essay on Shakespeare, defending him against a derisive assessment by Voltaire, which helped to elevate the Bard’s reputation and to connect it lastingly with English national identity.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fired off fierce, derisive rhetoric against South Korea in a key ruling party meeting at the end of December.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for derisive 
Gene A. Grant Ii, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
No matter its critics or the accumulation of derisive labels—corporate feminism, girlboss feminism, lean-in feminism, white feminism—a feminism of self-interested striving is the order of the day.
—Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024
Montagu published a substantial essay on Shakespeare, defending him against a derisive assessment by Voltaire, which helped to elevate the Bard’s reputation and to connect it lastingly with English national identity.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fired off fierce, derisive rhetoric against South Korea in a key ruling party meeting at the end of December.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for derisive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derisive
Adjective
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So we’re spared the ridiculous presidential logorrhea.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2025
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These proved ridiculous at Oberlin, where dressing in janitor uniforms from thrift shops was considered the height of style.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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These absurd names and acronyms speak to both the cult-y side of the Eagans and to the ways that corporations keep trying to reinvent things, words included, that worked just fine as is.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2025
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This gorgeous film’s premise is a simple, humanist, and not particularly dramatic one, of the type that the Italian neorealists treasured, but it’s been given an absurd, comic-romantic spin.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s the thing: the three guys were totally down, but convincing Queen Bey to get super silly with them was going to be another matter entirely.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
28 Jan. 2025
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Discussing Oscar voters in the context of the American electorate has always struck me as a little silly.—
Steven Zeitchik,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Here, 288 Romanian mercenaries who surrendered to M23 are counted and sent back to Europe, a pathetic and dejected lot.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
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Misery-loves-company is a real thing, pathetic but true.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near derisive
Cite this Entry
“Derisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derisive. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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