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

2

: 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

3

a

: a counterfeit appearance : imitation

if it was not a man it was a huge and grotesque mockery of man

—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

Synonyms

• caricature
• cartoon
• farce
• joke
• parody
• sham
• travesty

Examples of mockery in a Sentence

His kind of personality invites mockery.

the children's cruel mockery of each other

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Betcha didn’t know Jimmy Butler demanded a trade out of Minnesota, and proceeded to make a mockery out of the organization (which did that just fine on its own back then, thank you very much) for the following two months until his wish was finally granted. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 May 2025

This is very good news, because even after relatively recent changes, elections in New York still make a mockery out of small-d democracy. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Apr. 2025

These half-baked arguments make a mockery of the heartbroken parents who have been advocating for commonsense reforms for years. —Aaron Ping, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mockery

• self-mockery

Rhymes for mockery

• crockery
• rockery

Kids 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