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

Trump’s White House has been dismissive of Springsteen’s resistance activism in recent months. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2026

That framing, whether intentional or not, is disrespectful, dismissive and demeaning. —Terri Freeman, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2026

In my view, this is overly dismissive. —Quanta Magazine, 23 Mar. 2026

If the movie and theme park units are the elements of Disney that have the greatest resonance with our American psyche, this is not to say that Iger in any way has been dismissive of the sports biz. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dismissive

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