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

Derived 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

Scornfully he exposed an effort by Senator Herring to get him to sign a post-primary peace agreement with Senator Gillette.

From Time Magazine Archive

Scornfully, the old actors reject his manuscript: "Why, sir, there isn't a speech in it . . . nothing a man can really get his teeth into."

From Time Magazine Archive

Scornfully he challenged Congress to get a legislative program of its own.

From Time Magazine Archive

Scornfully, a defense lawyer said Shettles' work was as different from the achievement of Steptoe and Edwards as "a Model T Ford is from a Porsche."

From Time Magazine Archive

“I mean, they’re not poisonous or anything . . Scornfully, Joe said, “Suit yourself.”

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols