deride

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>deride</strong> &#149; \dih-RYDE\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> to laugh at or insult contemptuously</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule or criticism <strong>:</strong> to express a lack of respect or approval of</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>Although <em>derided</em> by classmates for his cocksure insistence that he would be a millionaire by the age of 25, he achieved his goal when his Internet startup went public.</p> <p>"Some will see such efforts as a wise risk-<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mitigation">mitigation</a> strategy, as well as a way of appealing to consumers and employees. Others will <em>deride</em> them as a pesky box-ticking exercise." — <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/05/06/private-equity-is-losing-its-mystique"><em>The Economist</em>, 6 May 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Deride</em> is a combination of the prefix <em>de-</em> ("make lower") and <em>ridēre</em>, a Latin verb meaning "to laugh." <em>Ridēre</em> echoes in other English words as well, some common and some obscure. In the former category we have <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ridicule"><em>ridicule</em></a> and <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ridiculous">ridiculous</a></em>. <em>Ridicule</em> functions as both verb ("to make fun of") and noun ("the act of making fun of"), while <em>ridiculous</em> describes what arouses or deserves ridicule or mockery. Obscure <em>ridēre</em> words include <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arride">arride</a></em> (it has an obsolete meaning of "to smile or laugh at," and also means "to please, gratify, or delight") and <em><a href="https://www.m