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
Relevance
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
But that doesn’t mean she’s entirely written off appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race’s biggest awards competition.
—
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
At the end of season 5, Frank resigned as president amid his many scandals and was thus written off at the start of season 6.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
Capital is moving back into a sector many had long written off.
—Elena Bou, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
In 1984, McClain took a job as the director of Black music at A&M and was assigned to work on a project with Janet Jackson, who had essentially been written off by the label after a pair of underwhelming early ‘80s albums.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 May 2026
At the time, she'd been all but written off by the label, but thanks to McClain, emerged as a superstar.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
For years, Seattle’s waterfront was isolated and written off as a tourist trap thanks to a double-decker highway that cleaved it from the rest of the city.
—Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
Lam said that, just as California's Three Strikes law has changed, so has the idea that people should be locked up and written off.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 18 May 2026
In that world, he’s been written off as old, washed, and a bastion of a game that’s passed him by.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
At the end of season 5, Frank resigned as president amid his many scandals and was thus written off at the start of season 6.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
Capital is moving back into a sector many had long written off.
—Elena Bou, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
In 1984, McClain took a job as the director of Black music at A&M and was assigned to work on a project with Janet Jackson, who had essentially been written off by the label after a pair of underwhelming early ‘80s albums.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 May 2026
At the time, she'd been all but written off by the label, but thanks to McClain, emerged as a superstar.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
For years, Seattle’s waterfront was isolated and written off as a tourist trap thanks to a double-decker highway that cleaved it from the rest of the city.
—Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
Lam said that, just as California's Three Strikes law has changed, so has the idea that people should be locked up and written off.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 18 May 2026
In that world, he’s been written off as old, washed, and a bastion of a game that’s passed him by.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for written off
Verb
-
The novel was initially ignored, and then—after Graham Greene called it one of the best books of the year—dismissed, and then banned, first in the UK and then in France.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
Resuming on 55-5 and requiring 254 for an unlikely win, New Zealand lost its remaining five wickets inside the first two hours of play and was dismissed for 138.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks are down by 23 points early in the second quarter, and are only shooting 33% from the field, and Madison Square Garden has been reduced to murmurs.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Language barriers may soon be greatly reduced, allowing for a historically impossible level of information sharing and growth.—
Jessica Melugin,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Fewer than a third of those processes were written down anywhere.—
Omer Qureshi,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Nothing can be written down, and no one can know everything, so much of the dialogue is a bewildering avalanche of codewords and code names.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
As Roberto De Zerbi ran down the touchline in celebration of Joao Palhinha giving Tottenham Hotspur the lead against Everton on the final day of the Premier League season, one of his players was in hot pursuit.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
The Lodge is technically not in Seattle—the converted seminary is located inside Kenmore’s Saint Edward State Park, an expanse of forest with trails running down to the eastern shore of Lake Washington.—
Harry Cheadle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
His dissolute, debauched lifestyle was due for a reckoning and could have sunk into tropes of the season’s theme.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
Graham was once again unavailable due to an ankle injury sustained against FSU, and the Gators were sunk by just two points at home, missing out on the SEC Championship Game.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a long-suffering Knicks fan who attended a playoff game on May 21, has played down the chances of Gotham City-style meltdown.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
27 May 2026
-
But Rubio played down the issue.—
Lorne Cook,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The contractors talked down to me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Others described feeling they were being talked down to.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Written off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/written%20off. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
