different between mockery vs scorn

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

Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin *escarnire, from Proto-Germanic *skarnjan, which could be from *skeran? (“to shear”), or possibly related to *skarn? (“dung, filth”). Noun from Old French escarn (cognate with Portuguese escárnio, Spanish escarnio and Italian scherno).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sk??n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /sk??n/
• Rhymes: -??(r)n

Verb

scorn (third-person singular simple present scorns, present participle scorning, simple past and past participle scorned)

1. (transitive) To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
   • 1871, C. J. Smith, Synonyms Discriminated

     We scorn what is in itself contemptible or disgraceful.

2. (transitive) To reject, turn down.

3. (transitive) To refuse to do something, as beneath oneself.

4. (intransitive) To scoff, to express contempt.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb which takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• (to feel contempt): see also Thesaurus:despise
• (to scoff): deride, mock, ridicule, scoff, sneer

Translations

Noun

scorn (countable and uncountable, plural scorns)

1. (uncountable) Contempt or disdain.
2. (countable) A display of disdain; a slight.
   • 1685, John Dryden, The Despairing Lover

     Every sullen frown and bitter scorn / But fanned the fuel that too fast did burn.

3. (countable) An object of disdain, contempt, or derision.

   • Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

Usage notes

• Scorn is often used in the phrases pour scorn on and heap scorn on.

Quotations

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:contempt

Derived terms

• scornful

Translations

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, ?ISBN

Anagrams

• Crons, corns