scornfully

American  

[skawrn-fuh-lee] / ˈskɔrn fə li /

adverb

1. with derision or contempt.

   As the others came up out of breath behind her, she said to them scornfully, "Neither of you knows how to run."

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Other Word Forms

• unscornfully
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of scornfully

scornful ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If you say something scornfully, you say it in a contemptuous or disgusted way. You might remark scornfully that your brother's breath smells bad. Ewwww. You might be afraid to try out your high school French at a fancy restaurant in France, for fear that the waiter might laugh scornfully at you. When a teacher is impatient and lacks respect for a student's ideas, he may speak scornfully. The adverb scornfully means "in a way that's full of scorn," and the noun scorn comes from the Old French escarn, "mockery, contempt, or derision."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scornfully

After State Department officials raised the legal issue in one situation room meeting, Kissinger said scornfully: "We shouldn't decide this on such doctrinaire grounds."

From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2023

“It’s the same ingenuity and creativity that has given us an edge all along,” Lylyck explained, and he compared it scornfully with Russian civil society.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

"His main gripe with me is that he'll go down in history as a poisoner," Navalny told the court scornfully.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2022

He scornfully called such a feat — given the scarcity of such cameras — “a rare accomplishment in New York.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 8, 2020

"From behind the walls of Harrenhal?" she said scornfully.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin