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
Refugee
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Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam
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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.
Doctors can be dismissive of the information gleaned from an Apple Watch, and putting that data into electronic medical records is cumbersome when it is possible.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
But Rollins remained dismissive of the band, telling the New York Times decades later that he regarded the Stones’ music as a flimsy simulacra of work by Black artists.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Deutsche Bank analysts call the old adage “sell in May and go away” a myth, though their own calculations aren’t quite as dismissive of the approach.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
When she sought out answers from her midwife and OB-GYN, they were dismissive; the experience prompted her to explore alternative care.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Matthias cut a dismissive hand through the air.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
