SCOFF (AT) Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

scoff (at)

verb

Definition of scoff (at)

as in to rebel (against)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scoff (at)

Verb

California voters have twice rejected ballot measures to abolish the death penalty, first in 2012 and again in 2016, and Newsom’s decision overrides the will of the courts and state laws that permit capital punishment.

— Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
Voters, in 2024, narrowly rejected a half-cent local sales tax measure that was estimated to generate about $19 million annually.

— Victoria Le, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

Despite a brief earnings dip, the stock shrugged off the biggest tech selloff since Covid last week, a bear market in semiconductors, and renewed anxiety around interest-rate hikes, to extend its 2026 rally to 30% and a new all-time high.

— Oliver Renick, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026
Real mysteries, like what keeps Rusty in a town and a job that destroyed his family, are shrugged off with portentous metaphors about stories—who has the power to tell them, who gets to rewrite their own.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of shrug off

Verb

Trump memorably defied the state-level polling in the Rust Belt multiple times.

— W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
In the months that followed many families talked about moving out of state and some about defying the law, which doesn’t take effect until 2027.

— Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of defy

Verb

But hell hath no fury like a Latino voter scorned and all this intimidation, in addition to a lack of follow-through on promises by Republican lawmakers since 2024, might have a boomerang effect by agitating Latinos into action.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Loneliness looms as a threat to all genders, but men, who are lauded for gruff stoicism and scorned for vulnerability, can be especially ill-equipped to navigate atomization.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of scorn

Verb

In an earlier document, the plaintiff claims he was subjected to a hostile work environment after reporting the allegations of misconduct, which saw colleagues disobey direct orders and verbally abuse him.

— Tom Sanders, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026
An Estonian newspaper recently revealed that a British soldier disobeyed a direct order to remove the SIM card from his cellphone before being deployed to a part of Estonia, approximately 90 miles west of the Russian border.

— Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of disobey

Verb

The often funny clips come from Modi, a category-flouting gay Orthodox Jew and former Merrill Lynch trader who is now playing some of the country’s most prestigious venues.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026
Ten days after López’s killing Honduran prosecutors charged Pérez and others of flouting environmental laws in the Los Pinares site from around 2013 to May 2021 by operating in areas beyond the limits of what had been permitted.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of flout

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

scoff

scoff (at)

scoffed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Scoff (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scoff%20%28at%29. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of scoff (at)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

impertinent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes