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

Already offputting, Reid’s performance of Rapp’s dawning realizations — flipping from dismissive skepticism to feverish belief with little in between — grows less grounded by the minute. — Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

The boys recounted their experiences to camp counselors, who were dismissive of their complaints according to court records reviewed by The Star. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026

Apple has historically been dismissive of touchscreen laptops, with software chief Craig Federighi explaining in 2018 that the ergonomics would fatigue users. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

After Mitchell's comments at the Juno Awards, the White House issued a dismissive response. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dismissive

• derisive
• emissive
• permissive
• submissive
• transmissive
• missive