Mockery

Mockery or mocking is the act of insulting or making light of a person or other thing, sometimes merely by taunting, but often by making a caricature, purporting to engage in imitation in a way that highlights unflattering characteristics. Mockery can be done in a lighthearted and gentle way,^[1] but can also be cruel and hateful, such that it "conjures images of corrosion, deliberate degradation, even subversion; thus, 'to laugh at in contempt, to make sport of' (OED)".^[2] Mockery appears to be unique to humans, and serves a number of psychological functions, such as reducing the perceived imbalance of power between authority figures and common people. Examples of mockery can be found in literature and the arts.

"Derision", "Making fun of", "Scoffing", and "Ridicule" redirect here. For other uses, see Bullying, Ridiculous, Mockery (disambiguation), and Ridicule (disambiguation).

Laughter, especially on the part of the speaker, acting as a cue that others are invited to laugh also

Phonetic practices, such as a "smile voice" and modulating "sing-song" pitch which mark actions "as laughable", denote an exaggerated level of animation, and indicate irony

Facial cues, such as smiling, winking or other intentionally exaggerated expressions which mark actions as laughable, ironic, and non-serious

Bodily cues, such as covering the face, or clapping

Exaggeration, emphasizing extreme cases and making claims obviously above or below what is reasonable

Incongruity through allusions and presuppositions to create implicit contrast

Formulaicity and "topic shift markers" to indicate an end to non-seriousness and a return to serious interaction

Mockery

Bullying

Irony

Roast (comedy)

Sarcasm

Taunting

Tongue-in-cheek

Ad hominem