scornfully

adverb

as in contemptuously

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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 scornfully As if the question arose, thought Leonora scornfully. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scornfully
  1. contemptuously
  2. disdainfully
  3. viciously
  4. bitterly
Adverb
  • Hazel swung the lamp in her hand and looked contemptuously at Ginny, surrounded by the naturalists and the teachers, who whispered encouragement.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Men sneered contemptuously at them, while teenagers used their names as insults.
    — Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of contemptuously
Adverb
  • The camera then switches from the chaos of the puppy, to the kitten—who is sitting in a relaxed position, blinking slowly, and staring almost disdainfully at the wriggling puppy.
    — Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Bella, in her podcast conversation with Trinny Woodall, recalled that once, at a village post office, a shop assistant disdainfully called her a hippie.
    — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of disdainfully
Adverb
  • He had been viciously attacked seemingly while asleep, struck multiple times in the face with a sharp, ax-like instrument, The Herald News reported.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the attacks were viciously personal, like about how a deceased family member deserved to die.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of viciously
Adverb
  • The country is already bitterly divided, with far-left and far-right parties leading opinion polls ahead of presidential elections next year.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Although the father of the proposal, Dave Regan, is the president of a union, the labor movement is bitterly divided over the effort.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterly

Browse Nearby Words

scornful
scornfully
scorning
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Cite this Entry

“Scornfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornfully. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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