SCORNFULLY Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

scornfully

adverb

as in contemptuously

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 scornfully As if the question arose, thought Leonora scornfully. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scornfully

Adverb

Hazel swung the lamp in her hand and looked contemptuously at Ginny, surrounded by the naturalists and the teachers, who whispered encouragement.

— Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Men sneered contemptuously at them, while teenagers used their names as insults.

— Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026

Definition of contemptuously

Adverb

The camera then switches from the chaos of the puppy, to the kitten—who is sitting in a relaxed position, blinking slowly, and staring almost disdainfully at the wriggling puppy.

— Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Bella, in her podcast conversation with Trinny Woodall, recalled that once, at a village post office, a shop assistant disdainfully called her a hippie.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Definition of disdainfully

Adverb

He had been viciously attacked seemingly while asleep, struck multiple times in the face with a sharp, ax-like instrument, The Herald News reported.

— Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
Some of the attacks were viciously personal, like about how a deceased family member deserved to die.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of viciously

Adverb

Nothing comes of it, of course, until months later, when Corinne sees the news that Kiberlain is taking to the Paris stage in a production of the very same play, and bitterly confronts her outside the theater.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the actor-director is trying to borrow a page from his bitterly funny David Fincher hit, Gone Girl (another kidnapping thriller, sort of), but Animals has none of that earlier picture’s wit or Grand Guignol extremes or gonzo structure.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of bitterly

Browse Nearby Words

scornful

scornfully

scorning

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Scornfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornfully. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of scornfully

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fervid

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes