different between mockery vs insult

English

Etymology

From Middle English mokkery, from Anglo-Norman mokerie, mokery and Middle French mocquerie, moquerie, from moquer, moker (“to mock”) + -erie (“-ery”), perhaps from Byzantine Greek ????? (m?kós, “mocker”), perhaps from Arabic ?????????? (al-makru, “guile, cunning”). Equivalent to mock +? -ery.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?m?k??i/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?m?k??i/

Noun

mockery (countable and uncountable, plural mockeries)

1. The action of mocking; ridicule, derision.
2. Something so lacking in necessary qualities as to inspire ridicule; a laughing-stock.
3. (obsolete) Something insultingly imitative; an offensively futile action, gesture etc.
4. Mimicry, imitation, now usually in a derogatory sense; a travesty, a ridiculous simulacrum.

   The defendant wasn't allowed to speak at his own trial - it was a mockery of justice.

Usage notes

• We often use make a mockery of someone or something, meaning to mock them. See also Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ridicule

Translations

English

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle French insulter (modern French insulter (“to insult”)) or its etymon Latin ?nsult?re, present active infinitive of ?nsult? (“to spring, leap or jump at or upon; to abuse, insult, revile, taunt”), the frequentative form of ?nsili? (“to bound; to leap in or upon”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + sali? (“to bound, jump, leap; to spring forth; to flow down”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to spring”)).

The noun is derived from Middle French insult (modern French insulte (“insult”)) or its etymon Late Latin insultus (“insult, reviling, scoffing”), from ?nsili? (“to bound; to leap in or upon”); see above.

Pronunciation

• Verb:
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: ?ns?lt?, IPA^(key): /?n?s?lt/
• Noun:
  • enPR: ?n?s?lt, IPA^(key): /??ns?lt/
• Rhymes: -?lt
• Hyphenation: in?sult

Verb

insult (third-person singular simple present insults, present participle insulting, simple past and past participle insulted)

1. (transitive) To be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody); to affront or demean (someone). [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: disrespect, affront, disgrace, slander, discourtesy, offense

   Antonym: compliment
2. (transitive, also figuratively, obsolete) To assail, assault, or attack; (specifically, military) to carry out an assault, attack, or onset without preparation.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (against or over someone). [16th–19th c.]
4. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To leap or trample upon.

Conjugation

Related terms

• insolence
• insultation

Translations

Noun

insult (countable and uncountable, plural insults)

1. (uncountable) Action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude; (countable) a particular act or statement having this effect.

   Synonyms: affront, (slang) diss, (obsolete) insultation, (Britain) offence, (US) offense, pejorative, (US, colloquial) slam, slight, slur; see also Thesaurus:offense

   Antonym: compliment
2. (countable) Something that causes offence (for example, by being of an unacceptable quality).

   Synonyms: disgrace, outrage
3. (countable, medicine) Something causing disease or injury to the body or bodily processes; the injury so caused.
4. (countable, also figuratively, archaic) An assault or attack; (specifically, military, obsolete) an assault, attack, or onset carried out without preparation.
5. (countable, obsolete) An act of leaping upon.

Derived terms

• add insult to injury

Translations

References

Further reading

• insult on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insult (medical) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insult (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• sunlit, unlist, unslit

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /in?sul(t)/

Noun

insult m (plural insults)

1. insult

Related terms

• insultar

Further reading

• “insult” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [in?sult]

Verb

insult

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of insulta