deride - a podcast by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2021 is: deride \dih-RYDE\ verb
1 : to laugh at or insult contemptuously

2 : to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule or criticism : to express a lack of respect or approval of


Examples:

Although derided by classmates for his cocksure insistence that he would be a millionaire by the age of 25, he achieved his goal when his Internet startup went public.

"Some will see such efforts as a wise risk-[mitigation](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mitigation) strategy, as well as a way of appealing to consumers and employees. Others will deride them as a pesky box-ticking exercise." — [The Economist, 6 May 2021](https://www.economist.com/business/2021/05/06/private-equity-is-losing-its-mystique)

Did you know?

Deride is a combination of the prefix de- ("make lower") and rid?re, a Latin verb meaning "to laugh." Rid?re echoes in other English words as well, some common and some obscure. In the former category we have [ridicule](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ridicule) and [ridiculous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ridiculous). Ridicule functions as both verb ("to make fun of") and noun ("the act of making fun of"), while ridiculous describes what arouses or deserves ridicule or mockery. Obscure rid?re words include [arride](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arride) (it has an obsolete meaning of "to smile or laugh at," and also means "to please, gratify, or delight") and [irrision](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irrision), a synonym of [derision](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derision), the close noun relation of deride. Also in the category of obscure rid?re words is [risorius](https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/risorius); this medical term refers to a narrow band of facial muscle fibers that reach to the corners of the mouth to make smiling possible.

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