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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scornful
The Nosotros people had returned Borja’s bribe money to him with no comment, only scornful silence, but the sting of the snub had not gone very deep.
—
Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
This is the trapped subject, the voice crying out in the wilderness, seeking a response from the Everything but getting only the scornful bounce-back of itself.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025
With the scornful wave spreading across social media, Marvel waded in to stem the tide.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
What price female solidarity and empowerment, after all, if the weapon of actualization is an abusive system, one that invariably draws Santosh into its clubby, scornful, vigilante mindset?
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scornful
Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
This is the trapped subject, the voice crying out in the wilderness, seeking a response from the Everything but getting only the scornful bounce-back of itself.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025
With the scornful wave spreading across social media, Marvel waded in to stem the tide.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
What price female solidarity and empowerment, after all, if the weapon of actualization is an abusive system, one that invariably draws Santosh into its clubby, scornful, vigilante mindset?
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scornful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scornful
Adjective
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By contrast, there’s something almost nakedly contemptuous about the end of this season.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
30 May 2025
-
That’s fine by an administration that seems basically contemptuous of the very concept of due process.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Trump has even been disdainful or dismissive of the United States’ traditional allies, such as Mexico and Argentina.—
Christopher Sabatini,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
-
Wise minds inside the Trump administration will hopefully choose to drop a suit first introduced during by a Biden administration reflexively disdainful of big.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And then, especially in the past several years, friends who stayed say: Honestly, this is kind of insulting—the way people keep talking about Lebanon from afar.—
Sahar Delijani
July 17,
Literary Hub,
17 July 2025
-
The deliberate and insulting call-out immediately sent the wrestling world into a frenzy.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
As the day goes on, Jim goes from a caricature of an arrogant male director to an oddly compelling picture of a pathetic man, moved by spite toward his ex-wife, Anita.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
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Actor Tyler Hilton played Chris Keller, a charming but arrogant musician, on four seasons of the teen soap.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Attacks are now surging across the U.S., targeting citizens with malicious texts, emails and popups.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
-
Habba was sued by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation after his arrest during a protest an immigration detention center in Newark on May 9.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
Each of us should demand our local leaders challenge every one of the immoral and cruel state laws and the Gestapo-like raids and inhumane detainments carried out by ICE agents.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
-
Even critics who considered his policies cruel and racist – and there were many – admitted that behind the bluster there was the charm of a true believer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
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
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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
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The notion of any return to normality feels abhorrent just now — a crass, unwelcome intrusion into private grief.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
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While the abhorrent actions that led Cuomo’s fall should alone be disqualifying, there’s also the matter of policy.—
Romen Borsellino,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scornful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornful. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.
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