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written off

verb

past participle of write off
1
as in dismissed
to express scornfully one's low opinion of most critics have already written off that director as a hack incapable of turning out anything but schlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reduced
to diminish the price or value of that one blunder will write off to nothing all the goodwill we've been building up

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 written off Goldenrod Originally written off as a weed, goldenrod is now beloved by many gardeners for its hardiness and colorful blooms. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 5 Sep. 2026 Andrew Shue, Melrose Place Andrew Shue’s Billy Campbell got written off Melrose Place in 1998, early in the show’s final season, and the actor barely looked back. — Jp Mangalindan, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Aug. 2026 On the mound, his 288 victories were written off by some Hall voters (though not this one) because his career spanned 26 seasons. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 Dozens of sunken skiffs and speedboats, long written off by their owners, sat dry on the sand. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 The train is, of course, a classic example of the perennial perils of sunk costs; abandoning the line seems absurd (even to us) given how much money would be written off. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 And the larger entertainment industry is taking note of the uptick in audience interest in unscripted, giving more weight to slates that were previously written off. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 Not long ago, the announcement would have been written off as yet another blockchain trial balloon. — Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 She was written off when her character died from a brain tumor in season 9. — Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for written off
  1. dismissed
  2. reduced
  3. run down
  4. written down
  5. played down
  6. sunk
  7. talked down
Verb
  • In California, a federal judge this month dismissed the administration’s challenge to school sports policies allowing transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their gender identity.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Netanyahu dismissed the allegations, and is suing Levi and several other Israelis who have made similar charges.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • But Lamont notes that the public benefits charges have been sharply reduced since May as many residents now see a credit on their bills because the public benefits charges have been temporarily eliminated.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • An October 2025 ceasefire reduced the intensity of the fighting, but Israel has continued to carry out strikes, killing at least 1,375 people since the agreement went into effect, according to local health officials.
    — Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • Heat point guard Davion Mitchell has seemingly been anywhere and everywhere this summer, always in perpetual motion, burning calories, running down basketball courts and city streets.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Underneath, the meat is white and the juice runs down along the side.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of run down
Verb
  • They were first written down in the mid-19th century, and have been central to the study of fluid mechanics ever since.
    — Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
  • When processes aren’t written down, new hires take longer to get up to speed, and mistakes are more likely.
    — Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of written down
Verb
  • Trottier played down the middle in both games in his first rookie tournament and handled himself admirably.
    — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • With the Kroenke deal, the Angels will plug into a much larger sports and media ecosystem that should benefit the team that has always played down the road in Orange County in the shadow of the region’s beloved Los Angeles Dodgers franchise.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of played down
Verb
  • On the economy, in particular, public opinion has soured; a recent consumer sentiment report showed that even Republicans’ view of the economy has sunk.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Questions were growing about a passenger ferry believed to have sunk off the coast of Vanuatu as rescuers on Tuesday searched for more than 30 people still missing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sunk
Verb
  • Oversimplifying things, on the other hand, would leave hardcore fans feeling as if they were being talked down to.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • There is a sense that it is patronised and talked down to a lot of the time.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of talked down

Browse Nearby Words

written down
written off
written up
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Cite this Entry

“Written off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/written%20off. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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