These words refer to the act of holding something up for disapproval or contempt. Ridicule suggests a conscious and usually verbal attack on something so that it will be regarded as ludicrous: heaping ridicule on her desire to keep her job after they were married. Derision suggests a fiercer attack, one designed not only to prove something ludicrous, but contemptible as well; the word is often used in the context of a public display of such contempt: casting derision on the whole tax system; audiences who greeted her efforts at singing with catcalls and derision . Mockery may suggest a lighter, more subtle approach than ridicule , but it is characterized by the same motivating contempt as derision : stung by the note of mockery in his remarks. Mockery is often used in a special way for an act that leaves a person open to intense disapproval: making a mockery of the whole democratic process. Mockery can also mean impudent mimicry which is another way of expressing contempt: His mockery of her walk was little appreciated by others in the room.

The remaining three words relate more closely to the techniques for making something seem ludicrous or contemptible. Irony is the technique of saying the opposite of the meaning intended to be conveyed: his deliberate irony in referring to the bejewelled matrons as generous and compassionate. Satire suggests a less subtle assault through such techniques as overstatement, ridicule, or laughter-provoking derision . Unsettling many officials with his pointed satire on their bungling methods of coping with the crisis. Satire may also refer to any work using ridicule : Pope’s satire on the bad writers of his day. Sarcasm is most often restricted to the making of brief, unpleasant remarks that are motivated by hostility and contempt: replying with sarcasm to anything she tried to suggest as a solution to their difficulties.