dismissive

adjective dis·mis·sive \ dis-ˈmi-siv \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of dismissive

: serving to dismiss or reject someone or something : having or showing a disdainful attitude toward someone or something regarded as unworthy of serious attention

He responded to the question with a dismissive wave.

In the past, Westerberg had been dismissive of Bob's playing, but he says relistening to the early records gave him a new perspective.
—Bob Weir

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dismissively

adverb

- Writer Tom Fontana's violent, realistic drama debuted five years ago and uninitiated viewers still dismissively call it "that prison show on HBO."
- —Ian Rothkerch
- These are not people who speak dismissively of the brain's capabilities.
- —Brad Leithauser

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dismissiveness

noun

- The work of feminist scholars, both individually and collectively, has been greeted in some quarters with impatience, irritation, dismissiveness, even contempt.
- —Cullen Murphy

See dismissive defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of dismissive from the Web

And for the most part, the state’s GOP has been dismissive of teacher protests on this and the more general topic of education spending.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Oklahoma Teachers Win a Partial Victory," 13 Apr. 2018
The disparities play out in daily indignities, both personal and professional: dismissive comments, advice ignored, emails routed to male colleagues, assignments to plan the office party rather than put on a hard hat and tromp out to the site.

— justin davidson, The Cut, "What Would a World Designed by Women Look Like?," 20 Mar. 2018
And then there’s other times, when the sensible voice can be incredibly cruel and incredibly dismissive.

— allie briggs, refinery29.com, "This Author Is Reinventing Fairy Tale Princesses, & You'll Hardly Recognize Them," 14 Mar. 2018
Even while in jail awaiting sentencing, Shkreli showed disdain for the judicial system and has been dismissive of his conviction, prosecutors said.

— renae merle, latimes.com, "Martin Shkreli's long, strange tale could end with a decade in prison," 8 Mar. 2018
Tanya’s picked up a few from previous travels in the region—is followed by a dismissive wave.

— megan spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, "In Catemaco, Mexico's 'Land of the Sorcerers'," 29 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, emails unearthed during Uber's recent lawsuit with Waymo revealed that Levandowski has been dismissive of safety concerns since his days as a senior engineer at Google.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Why it’s time for Uber to get out of the self-driving car business," 27 Mar. 2018
When the mainstream media eventually did cover the stories of Bill Clinton's accusers, the reporting was often dismissive.

— Fox News, "Hannity: CNN's creepy new obsession," 26 Mar. 2018
Facebook’s role in politics, from its growing reputation as the world’s largest comments section to its dismissive response to Russian interference in the 2016 election, has also caused growing dissatisfaction.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Is Facebook Going to Take Silicon Valley Down With It?," 21 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dismissive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.