mockery
noun
mock·ery
ˈmä-k(ə-)rē 
ˈmȯ-
plural mockeries
1
: insulting or contemptuous action or speech : derision
laying himself open to the jeers and mockeries of his rebellious subjects—
E. A. Freeman
E. A. Freeman2
: a subject of laughter, derision, or sport
making him turn himself into a merry mockery of all he had once held dear—O. St. John Gogarty
O. St. John Gogarty3
a
: a counterfeit appearance : imitation
if it was not a man it was a huge and grotesque mockery of man—E. R. Burroughs
E. R. Burroughs
b
: an insincere, contemptible, or impertinent (see impertinent sense 1a) imitation
makes a mockery of justice
4
: something ridiculously or impudently (see impudent sense 1) unsuitable
in her bitterness she felt that all rejoicing was mockery—George Eliot
George EliotExamples of mockery in a Sentence
His kind of personality invites mockery.
the children's cruel mockery of each other
Recent Examples on the Web
The feature faced initial mockery in the weeks after launch, when users found misinformed or nonsensical answers during the AI tool’s experimental phase.
—Brian Cheung, NBC news, 20 May 2025
The campaign elicited a mix of mockery and grousing by city residents, who accused the Democrat of abandoning his duties as second-term mayor for the national spotlight.
—Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025
Chesapeake Baysox turn viral mockery of logo into philanthropy for cancer nonprofit
READER POLL: Should a person who has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a loaded handgun be eligible to teach in a public school?
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
That makes a mockery of any appearance of objectivity in cases challenging the administration or involving the ABA.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
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Brian Cheung, NBC news, 20 May 2025
The campaign elicited a mix of mockery and grousing by city residents, who accused the Democrat of abandoning his duties as second-term mayor for the national spotlight.
—Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025
Chesapeake Baysox turn viral mockery of logo into philanthropy for cancer nonprofit
READER POLL: Should a person who has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a loaded handgun be eligible to teach in a public school?
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
That makes a mockery of any appearance of objectivity in cases challenging the administration or involving the ABA.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mockery
Cite this Entry
“Mockery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mockery
noun
mock·ery
ˈmäk-(ə-)rē
ˈmȯk-
plural mockeries
1
: insulting action or speech
2
: someone or something that is laughed at
3
: a ridiculous or poor imitation
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