Arabic word sheet
اِسْتَهْزَأَ
To mock, to ridicule
- Type
- verb
- Root
- ه ز ء
Meaning and usage
To mock, to ridicule
To laugh at someone or something in order to belittle it, to refuse to take it seriously. Said of a person, of their words or of what they do.
اِسْتَهْزَأَ الْأَوْلَادُ بِالتِّلْمِيذِ الْجَدِيدِ.
The children made fun of the new pupil.
Word family
What the root means ه ز ء
The root carries the idea of mockery, of laughing at someone to belittle them. From it come “to mock”, “mockery”, “one who mocks everybody” and “one who is mocked”.
to mock
هَزِئَ
mockery
هُزْءٌ
to make fun
تَهَزَّأَ
a mocker, one who mocks everybody
هُزَأَةٌ
a laughing-stock
هُزْأَةٌ
Synonyms
to mock, to scoff
سَخِرَ
Very close, each is given to explain the other; they differ mainly in the small word that links them to the person mocked.
Opposites
to respect
اِحْتَرَمَ
to honour, to treat with respect
وَقَّرَ