as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the derisive performances of some of the singers on the talent show
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derisive
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
Montagu published a substantial essay on Shakespeare, defending him against a derisive assessment by Voltaire, which helped to elevate the Bard’s reputation and to connect it lastingly with English national identity.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fired off fierce, derisive rhetoric against South Korea in a key ruling party meeting at the end of December.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for derisive 
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
Montagu published a substantial essay on Shakespeare, defending him against a derisive assessment by Voltaire, which helped to elevate the Bard’s reputation and to connect it lastingly with English national identity.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fired off fierce, derisive rhetoric against South Korea in a key ruling party meeting at the end of December.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for derisive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derisive
Adjective
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Saquon Barkley put up more ridiculous numbers in the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC Championship victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, leading to jabs at the New York Giants.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
27 Jan. 2025
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Because 7½ minutes of real time to play 20 seconds of basketball is beyond ridiculous.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Ironically, its only real payoff is its surreal magnitude of Drake-centricity (down to casting a look-alike), which largely ends up being absurd and hilarious thanks to events entirely outside of the film’s purview.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2025
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Courts should continue to quickly reject his absurd, insulting, and ahistorical legal arguments, which violate the clear text of the 14th Amendment.—
Elizabeth Wydra and Nina Henry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Couple Next Door The Bottom Line PG-13 partner-swapping upstaged by silly thriller subplots.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Jan. 2025
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Elon Musk is surrounded by almost constant controversy, but the latest scandal to rock the world’s richest man is surely the silliest—Musk is being accused of pretending to be good at video games.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Something drastic has to be done with this pathetic group of men masquerading as basketball players.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2025
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On Vanderpump Rules, this man was smug, pathetic, punchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near derisive
Cite this Entry
“Derisive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derisive. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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