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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derisive
The revelation quickly made headlines, and the social-media peanut gallery was sharply derisive.
—
Emma Sandler,
Vogue,
15 Dec. 2025
Earlier that day, Minaj had posted derisive comments about Roc Nation, suggesting the company had unsuccessfully tried to sign her.
—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for derisive
Emma Sandler,
Vogue,
15 Dec. 2025
Earlier that day, Minaj had posted derisive comments about Roc Nation, suggesting the company had unsuccessfully tried to sign her.
—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for derisive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derisive
Adjective
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Houssem Aouar finally spied a gap in the Austrian defence and sent Mahrez through to score, sparking jubilation before Sasa Kalajdzic’s header confirmed a ridiculous ending to a game that was dramatic, bleak and then dramatic again.
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This laptop can absolutely handle a ridiculous number of tabs.
Adjective
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The 41-year-old is still an elite NBA player, which is still an absurd reality to consider.
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The thesis rests on a claim that would have sounded absurd a year ago.
Adjective
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Every player with a pulse had six suitors throwing silly money around.
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Some scenes in the movie are light and silly, including those pairing Maddie with a lesbian friend, played by Kate Berlant, who clearly loves her.
Adjective
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Instagram Plus is social media’s newest low—a company preying on our most pathetic impulses, for the price of a small iced coffee.
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After these first three majors — and after a pathetic showing this week at Shinnecock — there's no reason to bet against it.
Adjective
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And no, that was NOT OutKick or FOX who wrote that stupid headline.
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The thing about House of the Dragon is that everything really is quite stupid.
Cite this Entry
“Derisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derisive. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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