as in ridiculing
to make (someone or something) the object of unkind laughter
my brothers derided our efforts, but were forced to eat their words when we won first place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deriding
Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Trump’s individual attacks followed a blanket statement deriding all four podcast hosts.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Ye has attracted controversy in recent years over his comments deriding both Jewish and Black people, but is seemingly attempting a comeback.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
For centuries, a frequent tactic of antisemitism has been to attack Jewish men, deriding their masculinity.
—Miriam Eve Mora, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Dontzig and Peterman co-wrote 25 episodes of Murphy Brown including its landmark Season 5 opener — a response to then-Vice President Dan Quayle’s remarks deriding the lead character’s decision to have a baby as a single woman.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Trump was explicit about his reasons for sabotaging the monumental project by October, deriding it as a favorite of New York Democrat and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Throughout the conflict, The Free Press wrote from an unambiguously pro-Israeli point of view, deriding both pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and the coverage of the war in mainstream outlets, including this magazine.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
The aftermath of a Clasico is always about crowning decisive winners and deriding significant losers.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
It’s often used in sports, notably English soccer, as a way of deriding a team’s mentality in clutch moments.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Trump’s individual attacks followed a blanket statement deriding all four podcast hosts.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Ye has attracted controversy in recent years over his comments deriding both Jewish and Black people, but is seemingly attempting a comeback.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
For centuries, a frequent tactic of antisemitism has been to attack Jewish men, deriding their masculinity.
—Miriam Eve Mora, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Dontzig and Peterman co-wrote 25 episodes of Murphy Brown including its landmark Season 5 opener — a response to then-Vice President Dan Quayle’s remarks deriding the lead character’s decision to have a baby as a single woman.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Trump was explicit about his reasons for sabotaging the monumental project by October, deriding it as a favorite of New York Democrat and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Throughout the conflict, The Free Press wrote from an unambiguously pro-Israeli point of view, deriding both pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and the coverage of the war in mainstream outlets, including this magazine.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
The aftermath of a Clasico is always about crowning decisive winners and deriding significant losers.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deriding
Adjective
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To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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North Korea also conducted a series of tests last week that state media said involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, while its senior officials issued statements ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
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North Korea conducted a series of tests last week that state media said involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, while its senior officials issued crude statements ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Educators were fired for making insensitive comments about him on their personal social-media accounts; a firefighter in Toledo lost his job for posting a derisive eulogy on Facebook; various airline employees were suspended for disparaging Kirk online.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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But this time, American allies have balked at Trump’s request to send warships to help transport oil through the strait, suggesting there is a limit to how far Europe will go to keep Trump onside in Ukraine and demonstrating the upshot of Trump’s derisive attitude toward alliances.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deriding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deriding. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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