dismissive

[dis-mis-iv]

adjective

1. indicating dismissal or rejection; having the purpose or effect of dismissing, as from one's presence or from consideration.

   a curt, dismissive gesture.

2. indicating lack of interest or approbation; scornful; disdainful.

Other Word Forms

• dismissively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dismissive¹

First recorded in 1635–45; dismiss + -ive

Example Sentences

His consent processes - in which patients should be able to make informed decisions over surgery - were poor, his record-keeping was inadequate, and his communication with patients was often dismissive, the report added.

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“That is infuriating, and it’s the perfect example of a tone deaf, dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take.”

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It’s a dismissive way of looking at a problem that doesn’t begin and end with boys.

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Alvarez landed a heavy right in the closing seconds of the round, but Crawford merely smiled dismissively.

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He hadn't shared the contents of the emails with Downing Street and had been "dismissive, claiming there was nothing new" in the stories emerging about his friendship with Epstein earlier in the week, sources suggest.

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Related Words

• aloof 
• arrogant 
• averse 
• contemptuous 
• derisive 
• haughty 
• unsympathetic