la derisione

Meaning in English

Derisione means derision, mockery, or ridicule: an attitude or act of laughing at someone/something in a contemptuous way, often to belittle or humiliate.

Common translations:

• mockery
• ridicule
• derision
• scornful laughter

Word parts / formation

• Root: derid- from the verb deridere (“to deride, to mock”)
• Suffix: -zione (forms nouns of action/result, like “-tion” in English)

So derisione is the act/result of mocking.

Italian synonyms

• scherno
• beffa
• sberleffo
• ironia (when it is clearly scornful)
• satira (in the sense of ridiculing, often in public or literary form)
• dileggio (stronger, more aggressive ridicule)

Italian antonyms (when applicable)

• rispetto
• stima
• considerazione
• apprezzamento
• ammirazione (especially as the opposite of contemptuous mockery)