schernire
to ridicule · mock
Meaning (in English)
Schernire means to mock, ridicule, jeer at, or deride someone or something, often in a scornful or contemptuous way. It implies making the target look foolish, sometimes publicly.
Common English equivalents: to mock, to ridicule, to deride, to sneer at, to jeer at.
Multiple meanings / uses
- To mock or ridicule (a person/idea)
- Schernire qualcuno = to make fun of someone with contempt.
- To treat with scorn, to reject disdainfully (less common, more literary)
- Schernire una proposta / un avvertimento = to dismiss or brush off something in a scornful way.
Word parts / structure
- schern-: base related to the idea of mockery/scorn (connected to scherno, “mockery, derision”).
- -ire: verb ending of the third conjugation in Italian (like capire, finire).
Related noun: scherno = mockery, derision
Related adjective: schernitore (more common as a noun) = a mocker, scoffer
Italian synonyms
- deridere
- sbeffeggiare
- beffare
- irridere (more formal/literary)
- prendere in giro (more colloquial; can be milder)
- canzonare (can be playful or biting depending on context)
Italian antonyms
- rispettare
- onorare
- stimare
- apprezzare
- elogiare
- lodare
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Examples
Non schernire i tuoi amici.verb
Do not ridicule your friends.
Lui è stato schernito dai compagni.verb
He was mocked by his classmates.
Perché lo schernite sempre davanti a tutti?verb
Why do you always mock him in front of everyone?
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