mockery
B2Neutral to Formal. Commonly used in both written and spoken English, though the sense of 'travesty' is more formal/written.
Definition
Meaning
The act of making fun of someone or something in a cruel, scornful, or derisive way; ridicule or derision.
1. A false, absurd, or ridiculous imitation or representation that makes the original seem worthless or foolish. 2. An action or situation that makes a complete failure or travesty of something (e.g., 'a mockery of justice').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Has two primary, related senses: 1) the act of mocking (the process). 2) the thing that is a poor/imitation (the result). It is a countable noun (a mockery, mockeries) but often used as an uncountable noun for the act. Can carry strong negative judgment.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The word is equally common in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical connotations in both varieties. Often implies contempt or scorn, not just light-hearted teasing.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both corpora.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
make a mockery of [something]be/become a mockeryface mockery for [something]be held up to mockerybe the subject of mockery[action] is a mockery of [principle]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “make a mockery of something”
- “hold someone/something up to mockery”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe actions that undermine serious procedures: 'The lax enforcement made a mockery of the company's ethical guidelines.'
Academic
Used in critique to indicate a flawed or absurd representation: 'His argument was a mockery of logical reasoning.'
Everyday
Used for mean-spirited teasing or a situation that is absurdly unfair: 'She faced mockery for her accent.' / 'The trial was a complete mockery.'
Technical
Rare in hard sciences. May appear in legal, political, or social science texts to denote a travesty of process or principle.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The press mercilessly mocked the minister's gaffe.
- He was mocked for his posh accent.
American English
- The critics mocked the film's simplistic plot.
- They mocked his outdated fashion sense.
adverb
British English
- 'Oh, brilliant,' he said mockingly.
- She nodded mockingly in agreement.
American English
- He repeated my words mockingly.
- 'Sure you will,' she added mockingly.
adjective
British English
- He gave a mocking laugh before answering.
- Her tone was mock-serious.
American English
- She responded with a mocking smile.
- He spoke in a mock-heroic style.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The children's mockery made him sad.
- Stop the mockery, it's not kind.
- His failed attempt was met with mockery from the crowd.
- She couldn't bear the constant mockery of her ideas.
- The corrupt official's apology was a hollow mockery of justice.
- The new policy makes a mockery of the government's environmental claims.
- The show's satirical mockery of political figures was both biting and brilliant.
- His so-called trial was a grotesque mockery of legal procedure, designed only to legitimise a foregone conclusion.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a MOCKingbird MOCKing (imitating) other birds. MOCKery is the act of MOCKing or the poor imitation it creates.
Conceptual Metaphor
JUSTICE/TRUTH IS A STRUCTURE (to 'make a mockery of justice' is to damage/destroy that structure). COMMUNICATION IS A MIRROR (a 'mockery' is a distorted, ugly mirror image).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'макияж' (makeup).
- The Russian 'насмешка' is a close equivalent for the 'act of mocking' sense, but lacks the strong 'travesty/failure' sense (for which 'профанация', 'пародия', 'издевательство' might be used).
- Avoid direct translation of 'make a mockery of' as 'делать насмешку'. Use 'превращать в насмешку' or 'выставлять в смешном свете'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it for light-hearted fun ('We made gentle mockery of his hat' – awkward, better: 'gentle fun').
- Confusing 'mockery' (noun) with 'to mock' (verb).
- Incorrect preposition: 'mockery on' instead of 'mockery of'.
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase best captures the meaning of 'make a mockery of'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Mockery is broader and more personal, often direct and scornful. Satire is a specific genre of humour/critique that uses irony and exaggeration to expose societal flaws, often with a moral or political purpose. All satire involves mockery, but not all mockery is satire.
Rarely. It is almost exclusively negative, implying contempt or a damaging failure. Light-hearted teasing is better described as 'banter' or 'ribbing'.
Both. As the act of mocking, it's usually uncountable ('full of mockery'). As an instance or example of a travesty, it's countable ('a mockery of justice', 'the various mockeries of the process').
The verb phrase 'make a mockery of [something]' is by far the most frequent and useful collocation, especially in more formal writing.