dismissive
Americanadjective
-
indicating dismissal or rejection; having the purpose or effect of dismissing, as from one's presence or from consideration.
a curt, dismissive gesture.
-
indicating lack of interest or approbation; scornful; disdainful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dismissive
Explanation
To be dismissive is to be indifferent and a little rude. Being dismissive is a sign of disrespect. If you're dismissive, you show little consideration for others. If a teacher laughs at a student's earnest answer to a question, that's dismissive. An employer throwing a resume in the trash without reading it? Dismissive. People are dismissive to others they think are beneath them. You can also be dismissive to ideas and suggestions. It's like waving someone or something away and saying, "whatever."
Vocabulary lists containing dismissive
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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.
“In fact, they were dismissive of efforts of others to help them win.”
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
People can get strangely dismissive about bouillon and gravy mix, as if savory flavor becomes less legitimate when it arrives in powder form.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The dismissive attitude toward “flyover country,” perfectly caricatured in Saul Steinberg’s famous 1976 New Yorker cover in which the map of America is reduced to Manhattan and the West Coast, is personal to him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Mr. Boorman comes across as donnish, astute and likable, but also arrogant and dismissive of legitimate concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Her judgment was as swift as it was dismissive, probably based on a quick-glance calculus involving my grades and test scores.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
