Derisive
//dɪˈraɪsɪv// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A derisive remark. rare
"The three lambs stood at bay, huddled close together, and helplessly bleated feeble derisives at the wolf who has headed them off from safety; but their polite and Englishy tone was a source of Homeric laughter to this Thersites of the Pleasance."
Adjective
- 1 Expressing or characterized by derision; mocking; ridiculing.
"The critic's review of the film was derisive."
- 2 Deserving or provoking derision or ridicule.
"The plot of the film was so derisive that the audience began to jeer."
Adjective
- 1 abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule wordnet
Example
More examples"His derisive laughter made me think that I was wrong."
Etymology
From the participle stem of Latin dērīdeō (“I deride”) + -ive.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.