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Expressing, serving for, or characterized by, derision. "Derisive taunts." Pope. -- De*ri"sive*ly, adv. -- De*ri"sive*ness, n.

A bluestocking; a literary woman. [Somewhat derisive]

guard, a detachment such as would be in charge of a corporal for guard duty, etc.; hence, derisively, a very small number of persons. -- Lance corporal, an assistant corporal on private's pay. Farrow. -- Ship's corporal (Naut.), a petty officer who assists the master at arms in his various duties.

Derisive; mocking. Shaftesbury.

repeated, ha, ha, it is an expression of laughter, satisfaction, or triumph, sometimes of derisive laughter; or sometimes it is equivalent to "Well, it is so." Ha-has, and inarticulate hootings of satirical rebuke. Carlyle.

To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts. Partridge and his clan may hoot me for a cheat. Swift.

Imitating, esp. in derision, or so as to cause derision; mimicking; derisive. Mocking bird (Zoöl.), a North American singing bird (Mimus polyglottos), remarkable for its exact imitations of the notes of other birds. Its back is gray; the tail and wings are blackish, with a white patch on each wing; the outer tail feath…

To play the orator. [Jocose or derisive] Dickens.

A term applied derisively to any literary or artistic work, and esp. a painting, done simply for money and the means of living. [Cant]

rtraits of rogues or criminals, for the use of the police authorities. -- Rogue's march, derisive music performed in driving away a person under popular indignation or official sentence, as when a soldier is drummed out of a regiment. -- Rogue's yarn, yarn of a different twist and color from the rest, inserted into t…

Forced; unnatural; insincere; hence, derisive, mocking, malignant, or bitterly sarcastic; -- applied only to a laugh, smile, or some facial semblance of gayety. Where strained, sardonic smiles are glozing still, And grief is forced to laugh against her will. Sir H. Wotton. The scornful, ferocious, sardonic grin of a bl…

Derision; ridicule; mockery; derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach. With scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious taunts. Shak.

To inssinuate contempt by a covert expression; to speak derisively. I could be content to be a little sneared at. Pope.

To make a speech; to harangue. [Used derisively or humorously.]

The act of making a speech or speeches. [Used derisively or humorously.] The dinner and speechifying . . . at the opening of the annual season for the buckhounds. M. Arnold.

To titter; to laugh derisively. She cried, "Come, come; you must not look grave upon me." Upon this, I te-heed. Madame D'Arblay.