Mocking

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmɑkɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Showing contempt or ridicule through words or behavior ; copying someone or something to make fun of them
2. Expressing derision or making fun of someone in a scornful manner ; mimicking actions or speech in a way that mocks
3. Demonstrating scorn or contempt by words or actions ; reproducing behavior or speech to ridicule or tease

Etymology: The verb "mock" came into Middle English as "mokken," borrowed from Old French "mocquer" or "moquier," meaning "to deride" or "jeer." But the French word's own roots lie across the Channel. Its likely ancestors are Middle Dutch "mocken" or Middle Low German "mucken," which meant "to mumble" or "to grumble," and which in turn trace back to a Germanic word for low, bellowing sounds. The sense of muttering with a half-open mouth is a long way from scorn, yet it is the same root. Related words across Germanic languages keep that original sense of sulking and muttering. Dutch "mokken" still means "to sulk" or "to pout," and Swedish "mucka" means "to murmur." The modern English verb has moved firmly toward ridicule, and "mocking" carries that meaning into both its adjective and its verb forms, while its cousins in Dutch and German still hold onto the grumbling sense.

Synonyms: taunting, ridiculing, jeering, scorning, deriding

Antonyms: praising, complimenting, admiring, honoring, respecting