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
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
Ian Rothkerch
These are not people who speak dismissively of the brain's capabilities.
—Brad Leithauser
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
Cullen Murphy
Examples of dismissive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Wendy is condescending, and even in their back and forth displayed all of the dismissive and snide psychoanalysis that Angel was alleging, but her inability to land zingers is always going to leave her on her back foot.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
For the Redditor, the gesture came off as dismissive of how important the big day is to her.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Judging by the number of skeptical, dismissive, and even downright furious comments left across social media in response, the general consensus seems to be that kids just don’t need face masks—and that the products themselves amount to an immoral enforcement of beauty standards on kids.
—Susan Akyeampong, Allure, 21 Nov. 2025
In particular, Linklater needed to knock his Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) off his pedestal, instructing his ensemble that their characters were dismissive of the young director.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dismissive
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Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
For the Redditor, the gesture came off as dismissive of how important the big day is to her.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Judging by the number of skeptical, dismissive, and even downright furious comments left across social media in response, the general consensus seems to be that kids just don’t need face masks—and that the products themselves amount to an immoral enforcement of beauty standards on kids.
—Susan Akyeampong, Allure, 21 Nov. 2025
In particular, Linklater needed to knock his Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) off his pedestal, instructing his ensemble that their characters were dismissive of the young director.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dismissive
Cite this Entry
“Dismissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dismissive. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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