1
as in contemptuous
feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern
the actress gave the paparazzi a scornful glare before breezing on by them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
the tenant's complaints were met with the scornful observation that he expected too much for the rent he was paying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of scornful
Despite that criticism, Trump doubled down on his scornful comments about Reiner at a press conference on Monday.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
Kirk shared Trump's penchant for scornful rhetoric.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Trump’s reaction to Modi’s trip to Tianjin has been scornful, claiming that India is offering to drop all tariffs on American goods.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Trump, too, is scornful of what European diplomacy could achieve, declaring recently that Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe.
—Garret Martin, The Conversation, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scornful
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
Kirk shared Trump's penchant for scornful rhetoric.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Trump’s reaction to Modi’s trip to Tianjin has been scornful, claiming that India is offering to drop all tariffs on American goods.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Trump, too, is scornful of what European diplomacy could achieve, declaring recently that Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe.
—Garret Martin, The Conversation, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scornful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scornful
Adjective
-
The tone of the FDA's message, Chaccour says, carried with it a contemptuous and toxic undertone, which only helped to escalate the political tensions around ivermectin that continue to this day.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Hogg, who had a brief and tumultuous stint as a DNC co–vice chair in early 2025, is contemptuous of the party’s lingering cohort of elder leaders.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet whenever Bunny turns away from Frank to take a call from one of his underlings about the day-to-day violence and ugliness of their industry, a somewhat disdainful look passes across Frank’s face.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Godchaux was a divisive figure among Grateful Dead devotees — many fans were frankly outright disdainful of her presence on stage.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
According to the Tourette Association of America, between 10 and 15% of people living with the disorder have vocal tics that may include disturbing, insulting or inappropriate language, including swear words and slurs.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Some leaders, producers and directors were not amused by Goldberg, saying her remarks were insulting and dismissive of a serious fight to gain diversity within the motion picture industry.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The history of classic Athens shows us that a Democracy can misuse its power, become arrogant and become a tyrant.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The attack also bears similarities to the tactics of a Russian bad actor group that targeted Russian Wiki pages years ago, suggesting the malicious Javascript originated from a much earlier vandalism campaign.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In testimony Tuesday, Jared Birchall, Musk’s longtime business manager and confidante, said that his boss’s tweets four years ago were prompted by frustration, and not a malicious effort to sink the stock.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This subsided with unusual speed, however, as cricket fans took instead to sharing the self-deprecatory jokes coming over the border.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
22 June 2019
-
Philipps has acquired her 1-million-and-growing Instagram followers through her self-deprecatory humor, raw honesty and vulnerability.—
Sonja Haller,
USA TODAY,
11 July 2018
Adjective
-
My complete comments make clear these abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group.—
Jeana Fermi,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The nature of these allegations is abhorrent and wholly inconsistent with our company’s values.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scornful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornful. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
