dismissive
adjective
dis·mis·sive
dis-ˈmi-siv 
: serving to dismiss or reject someone or something : having or showing a disdainful attitude toward someone or something regarded as unworthy of serious attention
He responded to the question with a dismissive wave.
In the past, Westerberg had been dismissive of Bob's playing, but he says relistening to the early records gave him a new perspective.—
Bob Weir
Bob Weir
dismissively
adverb
Writer Tom Fontana's violent, realistic drama debuted five years ago and uninitiated viewers still dismissively call it "that prison show on HBO."
—Ian Rothkerch
Ian Rothkerch
These are not people who speak dismissively of the brain's capabilities.
—Brad Leithauser
Brad Leithauser
dismissiveness
noun
The work of feminist scholars, both individually and collectively, has been greeted in some quarters with impatience, irritation, dismissiveness, even contempt.
—Cullen Murphy
Cullen Murphy
Examples of dismissive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If the movie and theme park units are the elements of Disney that have the greatest resonance with our American psyche, this is not to say that Iger in any way has been dismissive of the sports biz.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Elsewhere on the red carpet, O'Leary spoke to reporters about controversy surrounding his costar, Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet, who recently landed in hot water for making dismissive comments about performing arts like opera and ballet.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Hegseth is fond of the trick of using a dismissive tone while actually conceding skeptics’ main point.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dismissive
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Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Elsewhere on the red carpet, O'Leary spoke to reporters about controversy surrounding his costar, Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet, who recently landed in hot water for making dismissive comments about performing arts like opera and ballet.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Hegseth is fond of the trick of using a dismissive tone while actually conceding skeptics’ main point.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dismissive
Cite this Entry
“Dismissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dismissive. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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