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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
scornful
adjective
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ He must be careful to avoid emotive judgements or scornful abuse.
▪ He talked about money, disco music and was scornful of grazing as a profession.
▪ His attitude to the race of contemporary critics in general was scornful.
▪ Jess, watching Midnight, saw him glance swiftly from one to another, his look cold, even scornful.
▪ Once scornful of cable companies, telephone firms have learnt that they can be useful.
▪ Perhaps all we are here witnessing is a picturesque way of making a scornful reference to alien religion.
▪ Prisoners were scornful about the sense of priorities this demonstrated, and about the supposed benefits.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Scornful

Scornful \Scorn"ful\, a.

  1. Full of scorn or contempt; contemptuous; disdainful.

    Scornful of winter's frost and summer's sun.
    --Prior.

    Dart not scornful glances from those eyes.
    --Shak.

  2. Treated with scorn; exciting scorn. [Obs.]

    The scornful mark of every open eye.
    --Shak.

    Syn: Contemptuous; disdainful; contumelious; reproachful; insolent. [1913 Webster] -- Scorn"ful*ly, adv. -- Scorn"ful*ness, n.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
scornful

mid-14c.; see scorn (n.) + -ful. Scorny was 19c. U.S. colloquial. Related: Scornfully; scornfulness.

Wiktionary
scornful

a. Showing scorn or disrespect; contemptuous.

WordNet
scornful
  1. adj. expressing extreme contempt [syn: contemptuous, disdainful, insulting]

  2. expressing offensive reproach [syn: abusive, insulting, opprobrious, scurrilous]

Usage examples of "scornful".

Smallweed and a parting salutation to the scornful Judy, strides out of the parlour, clashing imaginary sabres and other metallic appurtenances as he goes.

Sympathetic boos punctuated the oration at the scornful mention of Cameron.

When the doctor palpated and pressed his abdomen, he made a scornful grimace, as though finding all this silly and useless.

However, he had a vague inkling of what might be happening to his dear leader and the royal consort-to-be, since he had overheard the pseudo-Ajax make his scornful announcement of defection to Saturnian Imperial space.

The house on the beach had been posted where it stood, one supposes, for the sake of the sea-view, from which it turned right about to face the town across a patch of grass and salt scurf, looking like a square and scornful corporal engaged in the perpetual review of an awkward squad of recruits.

And the lines that were so successful for Lorcan earned Benjy either blank stares or scornful laughter.

Then the old monkey arose with a puzzled look, half scornful, and made for the door slowly, turning his head toward Shibli Bagarag betweenwhiles as he went, and scratching his lower limbs with the mute reflectiveness of age and extreme caution.

Guinevere watched us carefully and her striking face betrayed nothing, though I suspect she felt as scornful as Dinas and Lavaine of this invented ceremony that was so dear to her husband.

Obviously inspired by his encounter with Novotvor-tseva, this story takes the form of a scornful and outraged letter from an emigre reader to an emigree authoress.

As he turned to leave the audience chamber, Gallio regarded him with a scornful smile.

To the great house he now went and there was in these days no gateman standing at the gate, twisting the long hairs of his mole, scornful of those who could not enter past him into the House of Hwang.

She wore the crisp uniform and peaked cap of the Graybacks and her eyes were openly scornful.

He wore a sword and another long holster weapon, which was common, but she wondered for a scornful moment whether all the Green Valley men such as he could stand up against Kasarian, or even of her littermates guards.

So much for Robin, and for my Lady Lowestoft, scornful of his perspicacity.

Roscoe with Bethel, Mahala with the scornful Cynthia, Harry Mihick and Bruce Pasture, Iris Pentire and Maggie Sample.