Meaning & use
dismissal
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of officially removing someone from their job.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or without an article: 'a dismissal' or 'dismissal'.
Patterns
- dismissal of someone
- unfair dismissal
- wrongful dismissal
- face dismissal
The manager's dismissal came as a shock to the whole team.
She is claiming unfair dismissal after being fired without warning.
The company announced the dismissal of three senior employees.
nouncountable or uncountable
The rejection of an idea, claim, or suggestion as not worth considering.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of': 'dismissal of the proposal'.
Patterns
- dismissal of something
- complete dismissal
- summary dismissal
His dismissal of the evidence angered the scientists.
The proposal met with a quick dismissal from the board.
nouncountable or uncountablelegal
A formal decision by a judge to end a court case without a full trial.
Grammar: Used in legal contexts: 'motion for dismissal'.
Patterns
- dismissal of charges
- motion for dismissal
- wrongful dismissal
The judge ordered the dismissal of all charges against the defendant.
The lawyer filed a motion for dismissal, arguing lack of evidence.
Word forms
| plural | dismissals |
|---|
Common combinations
- unfair dismissal
- She won her case for unfair dismissal and received compensation.
- wrongful dismissal
- He sued the company for wrongful dismissal after being fired illegally.
- dismissal of charges
- The dismissal of charges meant he could go free.
- face dismissal
- Employees who break the rules may face dismissal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- firing
- Informal and direct; 'dismissal' is more formal and often used in official or legal contexts.
- termination
- Formal and neutral, often used in HR documents; 'dismissal' can imply fault or unfairness.
- rejection
- Used for ideas or proposals; 'dismissal' is stronger and suggests not even considering them.
Opposites
Word family
- dismiss verb
- To remove someone from a job or reject an idea.
- dismissive adjective
- Showing that you do not think something is important or worth considering.
- dismissively adverb
- In a manner that shows you think something is unimportant.
Practice
The employee is taking the company to court for ______ dismissal.
Choose one answer.
'Unfair dismissal' is a fixed legal phrase where 'unfair' is an adjective modifying the noun 'dismissal'. 'Unfairly' is an adverb, 'unfairness' is a noun, and 'unfairing' is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dismissal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.