And the Pharisees, also, . . . derided him. --Luke xvi.
14.
Sport that wrinkled Care derides. And Laughter holding
both his sides. --Milton.
Syn: To mock; laugh at; ridicule; insult; taunt; jeer;
banter; rally.
Usage: To {Deride}, {Ridicule}, {Mock}, {Taunt}. A man may
ridicule without any unkindness of feeling; his object
may be to correct; as, to ridicule the follies of the
age. He who derides is actuated by a severe a
contemptuous spirit; as, to deride one for his
religious principles. To mock is stronger, and denotes
open and scornful derision; as, to mock at sin. To
taunt is to reproach with the keenest insult; as, to
taunt one for his misfortunes. Ridicule consists more
in words than in actions; derision and mockery evince
themselves in actions as well as words; taunts are
always expressed in words of extreme bitterness.