Meaning & use
derisively
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Meaning
adverb
In a way that shows you think someone or something is stupid and deserves to be laughed at.
Grammar: Modifies a verb or an adjective: often used with verbs like laugh, smile, snort, or call.
Patterns
- laugh derisively
- smile derisively
- speak derisively about someone
- call someone something derisively
She laughed derisively at his suggestion, making everyone feel uncomfortable.
The audience snorted derisively when the politician promised lower taxes again.
He spoke derisively about the team's chances, but they ended up winning.
Common combinations
- laugh derisively
- They laughed derisively at the idea of him becoming a professional dancer.
- smile derisively
- She smiled derisively and said nothing, which was even worse.
- snort derisively
- He snorted derisively at the newspaper report.
- speak derisively of someone
- It's not kind to speak derisively of your colleagues.
- call someone something derisively
- They called him 'the professor' derisively, because he always used big words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mockingly
- Similar, but mockingly often suggests a deliberate imitation or teasing performance, while derisively focuses on showing contempt.
- scornfully
- Stronger and more serious than derisively; scornfully suggests deep disrespect, whereas derisively is more about laughing at someone.
- contemptuously
- This word emphasizes a feeling that someone is worthless, while derisively adds the idea of ridicule or laughter.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: derisively or decisively? derisively or divisively?
derisively vs decisively
Decisively means in a way that settles something or shows determination; derisively means in a mocking way.
derisively vs divisively
Divisively means in a way that causes disagreement; derisively means in a way that shows contempt.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'derisively' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B is correct because 'derisively' means in a mocking way, which fits laughing at someone's mistake. Option An is wrong because answering correctly is not mocking. Option C is wrong because solving a problem is not mocking. Option D is wrong because praising someone is not mocking.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “derisively”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.