ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.
consistently ridiculed everything she said
deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.
derided their efforts to start their own business
mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.
the other kids mocked the way he laughed
taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.
hometown fans taunted the visiting team
Examples of ridicule in a Sentence
Noun
She didn't show anyone her artwork for fear of ridicule.
the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridiculeVerb
The other kids ridiculed him for the way he dressed.
They ridiculed all of her suggestions.
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Noun
Best Practices for Encouraging Experimentation Establish Psychological Safety: Leaders should create an environment where employees feel safe to share ideas and take risks without fear of ridicule or punishment.—Mamie Jones, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 Spiranac, of course, is referencing what golf fans have come to ridicule.—David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
Presumably, Justine is not thrilled by Elon’s treatment of Vivian Jenna Wilson, one of the twins, who is now a transgender woman, and whom Elon has publicly ridiculed along with the trans community as a whole.—Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 The president has ridiculed each of the major broadcast networks, which are regulated by Carr’s FCC, and suggested CBS, ABC and NBC could see their broadcast licenses pulled or at least face more scrutiny from the federal government over coverage of him.—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ridicule
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French or Latin; French, from Latin ridiculum jest
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