1
as in contemptuous
feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern
a disdainful attitude toward people who work as waiters and waitresses
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proud
having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself
disdainful of manual labor of any kind
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
disdainful remarks regarding the cheap clothes that the local people were wearing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disdainful
The man, no, the boy that 3,000 people had crammed inside London’s Alexandra Palace to see produce history, plus millions more watching at home and in pubs around the UK and the world, was doing it not just with dispassionate ease, or with flamboyant style, but with disdainful relish.
—
Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Most Democrats and independents — 82% and 54%, respectively — said Trump was disdainful to Zelenskyy, while just 19% of Republicans thought the same.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2025
Danielle Haim sings, more disdainful than saddened by the dissolution at the heart of the single.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
From above, the figurines almost appear to be grinning, but the face looks disdainful when viewed head-on.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disdainful
Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Most Democrats and independents — 82% and 54%, respectively — said Trump was disdainful to Zelenskyy, while just 19% of Republicans thought the same.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2025
Danielle Haim sings, more disdainful than saddened by the dissolution at the heart of the single.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
From above, the figurines almost appear to be grinning, but the face looks disdainful when viewed head-on.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disdainful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disdainful
Adjective
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At this point, the major labels are practically giving away disks, throwing them into large boxes, sometimes with lavish notes and photos, sometimes with contemptuous bareness.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
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By contrast, there’s something almost nakedly contemptuous about the end of this season.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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But that policy can also backfire – in part because many regions, such as Marathi-speaking Maharashtra in the west – are staunchly proud of their local language.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
26 July 2025
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Pursuing a relationship in order to feel proud of oneself, more competent or even validated.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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Trump, too, is scornful of what European diplomacy could achieve, declaring recently that Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe.—
Garret Martin,
The Conversation,
15 July 2025
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The cast gets a huge boost at midseason with the arrival of John Leguizamo, equally broadly funny and vulnerable as Dave’s disgraced former partner, and Anna Chlumsky, hilariously scornful as a law enforcement outsider who gets brought into the story’s chaos.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Christopher McDonald plays Happy’s comically villainous, arrogant rival Shooter McGavin, maestro of the finger guns.—
Skyler Trepel,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
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In addition to Sandler, the 2025 film also sees the return of several familiar faces, including Julie Bowen as Happy’s love interest, Virginia Venit; Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, Happy’s arrogant nemesis; and Ben Stiller as Hal L., the orderly from Happy’s grandmother’s nursing home.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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And then, especially in the past several years, friends who stayed say: Honestly, this is kind of insulting—the way people keep talking about Lebanon from afar.—
Sahar Delijani
July 17,
Literary Hub,
17 July 2025
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The deliberate and insulting call-out immediately sent the wrestling world into a frenzy.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The president’s lack of aid to those who have served the United States is abhorrent, Burke said.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2025
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The notion of any return to normality feels abhorrent just now — a crass, unwelcome intrusion into private grief.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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Schwarzenegger stars as the haughty, sleazy eldest son of a wealthy family whose patriarch and matriarch are portrayed by Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey, respectively.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2025
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Santa Monica was a town in flux when Miller was in high school at the turn of the millennium: a Berkeley meets Beverly Hills where haughty affluence was rapidly eclipsing the Birkenstocks and counterculture bumper stickers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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How the Facebook crypto scam works Bitdefender Labs reports that a malicious ad campaign has been running on Facebook for several months.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Cybercriminals often scan inactive IP ranges, using them for various malicious activities.—
Vincentas Grinius,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disdainful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disdainful. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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