I have found so many synonymes for the verb "ridicule". If I translated them to my mother tongue (german), I would translate all of them with the same words (verspotten / verhöhnen). I want to understand the nuances in their meaning though, because I don't think they all mean exactly the same. When I look them up in a dictionary, the definitions there are often cyclic, referring to each other. E.g.:
"to deride - Express contempt for; ridicule."
Therefore, the dictionary is of no big help (unless the words really mean exactly the same and there is no small semantic difference).
Can someone explain to me these nuances?
Here are the synonymes:
- to ridicule
- to deride
- to jibe
- to jeer
- to mock
- to taunt
- to scoff
- to sneer