disdainful

adjective

dis·dain·ful dis-ˈdān-fəl

: full of or expressing contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior : full of or expressing scorn or disdain

a disdainful glare

is disdainful of all modern art

disdainfully

dis-ˈdān-fə-lē

adverb

disdainfulness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for disdainful

proud, arrogant, haughty, lordly, insolent, overbearing, supercilious, disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors.

proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

Examples of disdainful in a Sentence

He looked at the waiter with a disdainful glare. a disdainful attitude toward authority

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Just days before the Nov. 5 general election, at a time when both campaigns are fighting for voters’ attention, Biden’s remark has given the Trump campaign fodder to portray Biden and the Democrats as divisive or disdainful of Trump’s base of supporters. —

Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024 Piketty’s inattention to that problem comes across as deliberate and almost disdainful. —

Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020 Sure, this is all meaningful information to most Star Wars fans, who know the Sith as the primary anti-Jedi order, disdainful of the Jedi rules about how and why to use the Force. —

Noel Murray, Vulture, 26 June 2024 Greer’s disdainful, stuck-up lines ooze out of Kidman’s mouth. —

Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for disdainful