How to Use derisive in a Sentence

derisive

adjective
  • Bolsonaro replied with a derisive statement texted to media by his office.
    — Patricia Lara, Bloomberg.com, 14 June 2020
  • The only shot Simmons took was a dunk during pregame warmups that drew derisive cheers from the Philly fans.
    — Aaron Bracy, ajc, 11 Mar. 2022
  • The program centers on the lives of disabled swimmers who share their derisive vision of the world each week at training.
    — Sam Bradpiece, CNN, 5 Nov. 2019
  • The idyllic scenes don’t square with the derisive language used decades ago to keep people of color out of the neighborhood.
    — Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2020
  • Will there be deafening roars and derisive chants and people insisting on doing the wave?
    — New York Times, 27 Dec. 2020
  • Less well known is another juicy bit of industry slang, at once derisive and descriptive.
    — Margaret Heidenry, VanityFair.com, 24 Feb. 2017
  • Trump has long struggled to find a derisive nickname that sticks for his Democratic foe in the House.
    — Lynn Berry, The Denver Post, 4 Nov. 2019
  • Over the ensuing years Lopez has seemed to gather a force field around her, as if weaponized against derisive scrutiny.
    — Rob Haskell, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2022
  • Jokes can be mean and derisive, picking on those who are different, establishing who is inside the group and who is not.
    — Tom McTague, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2020
  • Trump said, using his derisive moniker for the young North Korean leader.
    — Matthew Pennington, Esquire, 3 Jan. 2018
  • Slants founder Simon Tam said his goal was to reclaim a derisive slur and transform it into a badge of ethnic pride.
    — Fox News, 19 June 2017
  • Robles chucked his bat, helmet and gloves, and crowd soon began a derisive chant at umpire Lance Barksdale.
    — Ben Walker, chicagotribune.com, 27 Oct. 2019
  • Robles chucked his bat, helmet and gloves, and crowd soon began a derisive chant at umpire Lance Barksdale.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2019
  • In ruling that Charles Miles should stay in prison, Sacks repeated that phrase often, in a derisive tone.
    — Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2022
  • Trump’s derisive tone played well with the supporters — kept in the hundreds because of coronavirus — who were invited to hear him.
    — Adam Belz, Star Tribune, 17 Aug. 2020
  • The term is derisive and refers to local people who have a negative knee-jerk reaction to any project near their community.
    — Justin Worland, TIME, 23 Oct. 2023
  • The revelation quickly made headlines, and the social-media peanut gallery was sharply derisive.
    — Emma Sandler, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2025
  • The public's treatment of Heard – which has been derisive and dismissive – underscores this point.
    — Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, 4 May 2022
  • In the third round, Gomez rocked Cota, then tossed Cota to the ring floor, prompting a warning and derisive chants from the crowd.
    — José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 21 May 2022
  • The loud booing began when Houston’s lineup was introduced, and the derisive chants soon followed.
    — Joe Reedy, ajc, 4 Aug. 2021
  • Trump, if 2016 is a guide, will run a nasty campaign, full of derisive caricature of his opponents.
    — Sahil Kapur, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Aug. 2019
  • Thomas and Lee have turned that kind of sickening hatred into a telenovela, spiked with easy targets and derisive laughter—by the many for the many.
    — Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2018
  • Yet the practice of ridicule used since the 1950s and the ease of repeating derisive mocking comments by media got pretty old.
    — Star Tribune, 11 July 2021
  • Fans entertained themselves with The Wave while the two super middleweights plodded in the ring, then some expressed themselves with derisive chants.
    — José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 28 Jan. 2024
  • Even as the draft has gone on the road, to Chicago the previous two years and now Philadelphia, Jets fans have kept their derisive tradition alive.
    — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2017
  • More likely, the Santa Fe driver's brother just got out of prison and was making derisive comments toward the sensible crossover in which he was picked up.
    — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 16 Apr. 2021
  • Walton Goggins plays a man in a bad mood from the start, whose derisive energy is forever butting up against that of his cheery girlfriend, played by Aimee Lou Wood.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025
  • At the time of its release, the film received negative, even derisive reviews from a range of critics, including Vincent Canby, of the Times.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2019
  • By the time Castro confronted him, about 40 minutes into the debate, O’Rourke had gone out of his way to confirm his critics’ most derisive shots.
    — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, 28 June 2019
  • This was met by derisive laughter in the locker room, where, coincidentally, the director of the FBI was chugging a beer and joining in the uproar.
    — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'derisive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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