derisive

adjective

de·​ri·​sive di-ˈrī-siv How to pronounce derisive (audio)
-ziv;
-ˈri-ziv,
-ˈri-siv How to pronounce derisive (audio)
: expressing or causing contemptuous ridicule or scorn : expressing or causing derision
derisive laughter
Given such follies …, it's easy to be derisive of Jerry Lewis …James Wolcott
derisively adverb
derisiveness noun

Examples of derisive in a Sentence

the derisive performances of some of the singers on the talent show
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Yet Horse Crazy is one of the best American novels about obsession in part because the narrator mostly dislikes Gregory, subjecting this object of lust to the same derisive interior voice that comments on virtually every other aspect of his life. Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024 Sanders didn’t win either primary, but the recurring debate each election cycle helped create and standardize a set of derisive talking points that remains popular today. Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 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 See all Example Sentences for derisive 

Word History

Etymology

see derision

First Known Use

circa 1662, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of derisive was circa 1662

Dictionary Entries Near derisive

Cite this Entry

“Derisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derisive. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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