1
as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
a literary snob, she invariably used the derisory term "the boob tube" when referring to television
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2
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the pawnbroker offered what I regarded as a derisory amount for the diamond ring
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Recent Examples of derisory
She was then remanded in a nunnery, given a derisory sentence — less than two years in jail — before being released with a presidential pardon.
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Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
The state media are full of derisory commentary about the alleged hypocrisy, decadence, and even blasphemy that is supposedly on display in Paris.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2024
There, the National Weather Service calculated the average wind speed to be a derisory 1.8 mph.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023
Often enough beautiful can be used as a derisory adjective in this context.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023
But when people invest in their own solar panels and start producing electricity, the feed in tariff pays them back a derisory amount.
—Jemma Green, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
The contents of his elegant Tite Street home — roughly 2,000 books, all the furnishings, even the children’s toys — were sold at a bankruptcy auction for derisory sums.
—Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2021
There’s no escaping that the current ESG qualifications of most directors and executives is derisory, and mandatory disclosures would provide the stick to increase competency.
—Paul Polman, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2021
Arsenal are seemingly the latest club to have entered the Harry Maguire saga alongside Manchester United and Manchester City, only to make a derisory transfer enquiry for the Leicester and England centre back well below the Foxes' asking price.
—SI.com, 3 July 2019
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
The state media are full of derisory commentary about the alleged hypocrisy, decadence, and even blasphemy that is supposedly on display in Paris.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2024
There, the National Weather Service calculated the average wind speed to be a derisory 1.8 mph.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023
Often enough beautiful can be used as a derisory adjective in this context.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023
But when people invest in their own solar panels and start producing electricity, the feed in tariff pays them back a derisory amount.
—Jemma Green, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
The contents of his elegant Tite Street home — roughly 2,000 books, all the furnishings, even the children’s toys — were sold at a bankruptcy auction for derisory sums.
—Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2021
There’s no escaping that the current ESG qualifications of most directors and executives is derisory, and mandatory disclosures would provide the stick to increase competency.
—Paul Polman, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2021
Arsenal are seemingly the latest club to have entered the Harry Maguire saga alongside Manchester United and Manchester City, only to make a derisory transfer enquiry for the Leicester and England centre back well below the Foxes' asking price.
—SI.com, 3 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derisory
Adjective
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Arizona State football fans slam 'truly insulting' College Football Playoff graphic Winter swoon: December has not been kind to Phoenix Suns in recent years The vehicle backed out of the driveway and into the road.Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
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The dawning of his second term has invoked jubilation from those who welcome Trump back to the Oval Office and fear from those alarmed by his insulting rhetoric about political opponents, the media, migrants and others.Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Injury updates The revolving door in John Worley’s training room has spun at a ridiculous pace lately.Michael Russo, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
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Gibson spends most of the premiere in a ridiculous wig of surfer curls; by the end, he’s got Hall’s haircut, and his inner monologue sounds suspiciously like his predecessor.Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But the series, like the film, shows that vampires are also multidimensional — vulnerable, emotional, funny, absurd — and completely out of place in the modern world.Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Photo: Their lives often appear dramatic and borderline absurd.Daisy Jones, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Yet feeling out of place has, ironically, brought Escola even closer to their Mary Todd Lincoln, whose fear that a scornful world might keep her offstage gives the show an unexpected pathos.Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024
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The president has outlined a deeply misguided foreign policy vision that is distrustful of U.S. allies, scornful of international institutions, and indifferent, if not downright hostile, to the liberal international order that the United States has sustained for nearly eight decades.Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2018
Adjective
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Seeing these half a dozen random products shoved in a small paper mailer, everything feels much more pathetic than the pictures online suggested.Mia Sato, The Verge, 19 Dec. 2024
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This type of yellow press is pathetic, and the ongoing media hysteria around AI is an embarrassment to the field of journalism as a profession.Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Evie, who has recently married another woman, is contemptuous of a religion that doesn’t hold space for her identity.Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
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Reporters circle, looking for a chance to embarrass the military for accepting Black women into its ranks, while male colleagues are openly disrespectful, with Gen. Halt (Dean Norris) setting a contemptuous example from the top.Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Packed with silly hijinks, this 2004 comedy also stars Kristin Chenoweth and Kristin Davis.Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
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Staff take part in silly skits and showcase rare albums that have not been digitized from the station's giant record collection.Meira Gebel, Axios, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This subsided with unusual speed, however, as cricket fans took instead to sharing the self-deprecatory jokes coming over the border.The Economist, The Economist, 22 June 2019
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Philipps has acquired her 1-million-and-growing Instagram followers through her self-deprecatory humor, raw honesty and vulnerability.Sonja Haller, USA TODAY, 11 July 2018
Thesaurus Entries Near derisory
Cite this Entry
“Derisory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derisory. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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