SCORNFUL Synonyms: 118 Similar and Opposite Words

scornful

adjective

ˈskȯrn-fəl

Definition of scornful

as in contemptuous

feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern the actress gave the paparazzi a scornful glare before breezing on by them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in slighting

intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value the tenant's complaints were met with the scornful observation that he expected too much for the rent he was paying

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scornful Not even the pork choppers were as arrogant and scornful of voting rights as the current mob. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026 During the decade since Hitler took power, women married to Jewish men defied scornful social, economic and political pressure, day after day. — Danielle Wirsansky, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026 His medium was the linocut print—clean, strong, and scornful of embellishment. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026 And with a scornful undercurrent at the fact that Charli apparently stole Johannes out from under her. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scornful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scornful

Adjective

Below the surface, there is a lot of contemptuous finger-pointing about where the anti-AI energy now coursing through the political-media landscape is coming from.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Relative to the contemptuous silence of the Mike Ashley regime, there is no comparison — but even when compared to previous post-takeover administrations, Newcastle are being more communicative.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of contemptuous

Adjective

Afterward, Lisa brags about her pickpocketing skills and says theft is easier and less insulting to the mark.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
The mother was waiting with her daughter for her other children to get off a school bus when Blanco allegedly approached and made insulting comments, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said, according to WPRI.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of insulting

Adjective

As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Definition of disdainful

Adjective

Moreover, the perpetrators do not appear to have used malicious code on the fridge controllers, potentially complicating efforts to track down who carried out the cyberattack, added Aimé.

— Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
The best way to protect yourself from malicious links that install malware and potentially access your private information is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of malicious

Adjective

Ever-sensible Elinor, who never asks for much, has already met, and fallen for, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), Fanny’s brother, as kind and modest as Fanny is arrogant.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Hal and Kate, having misread Trowbridge’s shock and dismay at the tragic death of Austin Dennison as a worse-than-usual bit of arrogant posturing, switch to Bad Cop mode.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

This subsided with unusual speed, however, as cricket fans took instead to sharing the self-deprecatory jokes coming over the border.

— The Economist, The Economist, 22 June 2019
Philipps has acquired her 1-million-and-growing Instagram followers through her self-deprecatory humor, raw honesty and vulnerability.

— Sonja Haller, USA TODAY, 11 July 2018

Definition of deprecatory

Adjective

Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.

— Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026

Definition of disparaging

Browse Nearby Words

scorners

scornful

scornfully

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“Scornful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornful. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scornful

adjective

Example Sentences

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