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
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of scornful
Screenshots and copies of the complaint spread far and wide became fodder for the already overwhelming fire of scornful messages and posts towards the women, a lawyer for one of the women says.
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Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Some of the exhibits were simply embarrassing, such as scornful behind-the-scenes opinions about Trump, whose supporters form the core of the network’s viewers.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2023
The artist’s killing will always frame his reception, but there are six million earlier deaths that haunt his agitated, scornful, hard-to-shake pictures.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
Her mother had left, and Watt had to figure out next steps under the scornful eyes of her father.
—WIRED, 17 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for scornful 
Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Some of the exhibits were simply embarrassing, such as scornful behind-the-scenes opinions about Trump, whose supporters form the core of the network’s viewers.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2023
The artist’s killing will always frame his reception, but there are six million earlier deaths that haunt his agitated, scornful, hard-to-shake pictures.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
Her mother had left, and Watt had to figure out next steps under the scornful eyes of her father.
—WIRED, 17 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for scornful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scornful
Adjective
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Critics have affixed to his output any number of adjectives meant to communicate its basic darkness: acerbic, malicious, cruel, contemptuous.Brandon Sanchez, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
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The rocket lifted away slowly, as though in contemptuous defiance of physics.David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Greer’s disdainful, stuck-up lines ooze out of Kidman’s mouth.Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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No matter, the response was swift and harsh from the often insulting and foul-mouthed Trump and other Republicans.Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024
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Why reach for the insulting explanation when a rational one will do?Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Manji will appear as Crispin, an arrogant, pompous employee at a fancy, high-end hardware store who snubs George.Katie Campione, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2024
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My 21-year-old grandson is a dramatic and arrogant know-it-all.Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Apple has since revoked the notarization for the malicious program.Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
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Between the lines: Many cybersecurity tools scan endpoints for signs of malicious intruders trying to get in.Sam Sabin, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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This soaring exploration of generational trauma starts with Star, a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, who’s forced to speak English and practice Christianity by the man who goes on to found the notoriously cruel Carlisle Indian Industrial School.Lizz Schumer, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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But at times, there’s a defensive, slightly cruel streak to his patter that can eclipse his better angels (of which there are many) and test the goodwill of those around him.Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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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 alternative is a future too abhorrent for even the most dystopian imaginations at WIRED to contemplate.Katie Drummond, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
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No matter how obscure the source or abhorrent the story, incendiary headlines, rigged algorithms and planted comments are standard.Lauren Coulman, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near scornful
Cite this Entry
“Scornful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornful. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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