Meaning & use
dismissive
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Meaning
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Showing, by a remark or gesture, that you think someone or something is not worth serious attention.
Grammar: Often followed by of: dismissive of her ideas.
Patterns
- dismissive of someone
- dismissive of something
He was dismissive of her suggestions.
She gave a dismissive wave and walked away.
The critic's tone was openly dismissive.
Word forms
| comparative | more dismissive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most dismissive |
Common combinations
- dismissive of
- The boss was dismissive of the complaints.
- dismissive tone
- His dismissive tone upset the interns.
- dismissive gesture
- A dismissive gesture ended the discussion.
- dismissive attitude
- A dismissive attitude can damage trust.
- dismissive shrug
- He answered with a dismissive shrug.
Synonyms and how they differ
- contemptuous
- Contemptuous is stronger and shows real scorn, while dismissive may just show impatience.
- scornful
- Scornful adds open mockery, which dismissive does not need.
- offhand
- Offhand suggests casual and careless, not always rude.
- disdainful
- Disdainful implies looking down on someone as inferior.
Opposites
Word family
- dismiss verb
- to treat as unworthy of consideration, or to send away
- dismissal noun
- the act of dismissing
- dismissively adverb
- in a dismissive way
- dismissiveness noun
- the quality of being dismissive
Commonly confused: dismissive or dismissal? dismissive or dismal?
dismissive vs dismissal
Dismissal is a noun, often meaning firing from a job, while dismissive is an adjective describing attitude.
dismissive vs dismal
Dismal means gloomy or poor, and looks similar.
Practice
When I mentioned my concerns, my manager was ____ and moved on to the next topic.
Choose one answer.
Dismissive means treating a concern as not worth attention. The other options would mean he engaged with it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dismissive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.