The Greek ekmuktērizō means to sneer contemptuously — literally 'to turn up the nose at' someone. The verb comes from muktēr (nose) and ek (out/fully), painting a picture of visible, physical mockery. It is used twice in Luke: of the Pharisees who 'sneered at' Jesus after His teaching on money and God (Luke 16:14), and of the rulers who 'sneered at' Him during the crucifixion (Luke 23:35).
The ekmuktērizō of the Pharisees in Luke 16:14 is one of the clearest biblical pictures of hardened religious pride. They 'loved money' (v.14) and responded to Jesus' teaching about the impossibility of serving both God and money with contemptuous mockery rather than repentance. The same contemptuous sneering appears at the cross (Luke 23:35) — the religious leaders mocking the one they had crucified. Both moments are moments of revelation: those who sneer at Christ reveal the true state of their hearts. The one they mock is the judge before whom they will stand.