irrision means the act of laughing at another; derision. It carries an Arena rating of 1603, earned across 61 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, irrision ranks #3,200 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,310 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #4,229 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #4,455 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
irrision is pronounced /ɪˈɹɪʒən/.
Why “irrision” is a great word
IRRISION — [Noun] The act of laughing at someone or something with scorn or mockery. From Latin irrīsiō, from irrīdēre ("to laugh at"), from in- ("in, at") + rīdēre ("to laugh"). First attested in English circa 1526. Unlike derision, which implies vocal and contemptuous scorn, or ridicule, which suggests public and intentional belittlement, irrision is the cold, formal act of laughter itself as an instrument of judgment. It is the aristocrat's quiet chuckle behind a gloved hand, the silent, breathy exhalation that seals a speaker's failure, or the private smirk that greets an earnest confession—a soundless weapon that measures not the volume of mockery, but its chilling distance.
Etymology
From Latin irrīsiō, from irrīdēre (“to laugh at”); ir- (“in”) + rīdeō (“to laugh”): compare French irrision.
noun
- The act of laughing at another; derision.e.g.“This being spoken scopticè, or by way of irrision.” — [1611?], Homer, “(please specify |book=I to XXIV)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC; republished as The Iliads of Homer, Pr
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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