dismissive

adjective

dis·​mis·​sive dis-ˈmi-siv 

: 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

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

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

Examples of dismissive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even as China and Russia have grown significantly closer, officials in Washington have remained dismissive. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024

If Clark exceeded her own standards — with 41 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds — so, too, did the game, which was free of jawing, dismissive gestures and score settling. —Billy Witz, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024

Many described the property management team as dismissive, rude and hard to reach. —Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024

Rounding out the cast are Teri Polo as the friendly messenger raven Saylor, and Steven Weber as the dismissive Head Knight. —Ben Croll, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024

Unsurprisingly, Biden’s aides reject the idea that the White House is insular or dismissive of reality. —Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

But critics of the bill, such as Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., were dismissive about how much the process really changed. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024

Both in this debate and in the past, Andreessen has been dismissive of the concerns raised by some of AI’s biggest critics. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024

Her fierce portrayal of Laura Ferrari, a woman consumed by grief over the death of her son and stewing with resentment over the dismissive way her husband and others treat her, was one of the highlights of the film. —Glenn Whipp, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above