derisive

English

WOTD – 2 May 2008

Etymology

From the participle stem of Latin dērīdeō (“I deride”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /dɪˈɹaɪ.sɪv/, /dɪˈɹɪ.sɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -aɪsɪv

Adjective

derisive (comparative more derisive, superlative most derisive)

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.

Synonyms

• (expressing or characterized by derision): mocking, ridiculing, scornful, disdainful
• (deserving or provoking derision): ridiculous

Derived terms

• derisively
• derisiveness
• underisive

Related terms

• deride
• derider
• derisible
• derision
• derisionary

Translations

expressing or characterized by derision; mocking

• Bulgarian: насмешлив (bg) (nasmešliv), подигравателен (bg) (podigravatelen)
• Czech: posměšný, výsměšný, pohrdavý
• Finnish: pilkallinen (fi)
• French: dérisoire (fr), ridicule (fr)ironique (fr), moqueur (fr)
• Galician: burlón m
• German: spöttisch (de), höhnisch (de)
• Greek: χλευαστικός (el) (chlevastikós)
• Hungarian: gúnyos (hu), gúnyolódó (hu)
• Icelandic: háðslegur (is)
• Polish: szyderczy (pl) m, drwiący m
• Portuguese: escarnecedor
• Russian: насме́шливый (ru) (nasméšlivyj)
• Spanish: irrisorio (es)
• Swedish: skrattretande (sv)
• Turkish: alaycı (tr)

deserving or provoking derision

• Bulgarian: смехотворен (smehotvoren)
• Czech: směšný (cs)
• German: lächerlich (de)
• Greek: χλευαστικός (el) (chlevastikós)
• Hungarian: gúnyos (hu), gúnyolódó (hu)
• Portuguese: ridículo (pt)
• Russian: смехотво́рный (ru) (smexotvórnyj)
• Spanish: irrisorio (es)

Noun

derisive (plural derisives)

1. (rare) A derisive remark.
   • 1894, Samuel Rutherford Crockett, The Stickit Minister: And Some Common Men, page 173:

     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.

   • 1962, Homer Floyd Fansler, History of Tucker County, West Virginia, page 192:

     He leaped over the embankment at the river's edge in such a manner that it appeared he had been fatally hit and was down for good; the Yankees shouting such derisives as "Another damn Rebel for hell," "Goodbye, you Rebel bastard," etc., didn't go right away to rob the corpse.

   • 2017, Bogdadn Lesnik, Countering Discrimination in Social Work:

     Indeed, the power inherent in the labels attributed to them has repeatedly transformed these terms from allegedly scientific ones into colloquial derisives.

References

• “derisive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• desirive