Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

derision

/dɪˈɹɪʒən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English

Syllables: de-ri-sion
IPA: /dɪˈɹɪʒən/

9

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Act of treating with disdain.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something to be derided; a laughing stock.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"There was just a touch of derision in the Don's voice and Hagen flushed."
"One of the darlings of the early vegetarian movement (particularly in its even sadder form, the cutlet), it was on the menu at John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium [sic], and has since become the default Sunday option for vegetarians – and a default source of derision for everyone else."
"Miss Briggs was not formally dismissed, but her place as companion was a sinecure and a derision […]"

Etymology

From Old French derision, from Latin dērīsiōnem, accusative of dērīsiō, from dērīdēre ("to mock, to laugh at, to deride").

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /dɪˈɹɪʒən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

derisions (plural)

Phrases

hold in derision

Frequently Paired Words

deride derider ridicule ridiculous ridiculosity

Synonyms

sport ridicule

Rhymes With

decision division vision provision precision collision supervision revision parisian circumcision envision incision

Questions

How do you pronounce derision?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈɹɪʒən/.
What does derision mean?: Act of treating with disdain.
Where does derision come from?: From Old French derision, from Latin dērīsiōnem, accusative of dērīsiō, from dērīdēre ("to mock, to laugh at, to deride").

How to pronounce derision

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “derision”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈɹɪʒən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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