Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

disdainful

American  
[dis-deyn-fuhl] / dɪsˈdeɪn fəl /

adjective

  1. full of or showing disdain; scornful.

    Synonyms:
    supercilious, haughty, derisive, contemptuous
disdainful British  
/ dɪsˈdeɪnfʊl /

adjective

  1. showing or feeling disdain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • disdainfully adverb
  • disdainfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of disdainful

First recorded in 1535–45; disdain + -ful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They also told me he could turn on a dime and become reclusive or even disdainful of dinner guests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Ruffin counters before delivering the death blow with a wink and faintly disdainful sneer: “That’s journalism.”

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2025

Following England regularly is to know captain Ben Stokes is disdainful about the idea of being "ruthless".

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2024

This time he is not just a disdainful bystander but one of the targets of the discontent, challenging him to navigate the treacherous waters of campus politics better than Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1968.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2024

No. “Well—this is just a literary sort of exercise,” Pacheco told him scornfully, at last awarding the spiders a disdainful glower.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.