shrugging off

verb

present participle of shrug off
1
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance an administration that was willing to shrug off the problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment) she shrugged off her coat and hung it up neatly

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 shrugging off But on Tuesday, senators failed to advance the firms’ top legislative priority, shrugging off the threat of tens of millions of dollars that still could hit them this fall. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Part of it is that more women are speaking up about hair loss, shrugging off the stigma and reaching out for help. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026 Trump, now shrugging off concerns about the threat posed to those who remained aboard the plane he was supposed to be on. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Publicly, the White House is shrugging off the legal setbacks. — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026 Paul said, referring to an interview Edwards did several years ago shrugging off the Phoenix Suns’ addition of Kevin Durant. — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Lionel Messi showcased his legendary resilience, powering Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Iraq with two goals, shrugging off an early penalty kick miss. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 The bull market keeps shrugging off every reason to stop. — Benzinga, Freep.com, 23 May 2026 Trump has also lambasted members of the alliance for shrugging off requests to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, despite much of the oil that Europe relies on navigating through the waterway. — Haris Alic, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrugging off
  1. ignoring
  2. removing
  3. overlooking
  4. putting off
  5. forgiving
  6. taking off
  7. passing over
  8. explaining
Verb
  • October 06, 2026 Optimism isn’t about ignoring problems or pretending everything will work out.
    — Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Sutskever is the moral center of the film and grows increasingly uncomfortable as Altman forges ahead with complicated AI models that have learned how to lie, willfully ignoring risks.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • About 50 employees signed off on an email to leadership expressing concerns and providing suggestions, such as evaluating clutter and removing items like pillows that are hotspots for the insects.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The Robin offers a little more structure and can even be transformed into a clutch by removing the adjustable strap.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • The clubhouse would have a bar, restaurant, locker rooms and verandas overlooking the golf course and tennis courts.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2023 Arthur Chardonnay Dundee Hills Domaine Drouhin Oregon covers 235 acres in the Dundee Hills overlooking the Willamette Valley.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • Angi data shows 60 percent of consumers are now putting off projects and switching to maintenance.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Stop putting off that next step for your side hustle and find the perfect person to take your business to the next level.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of putting off
Verb
  • Telluride’s ski area stretches across more than 2,000 acres, from wide, forgiving groomers to steep chutes and bowls, with the terrain climbing to 12,570 feet.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The schedule is not forgiving — Texas and Georgia await; doormats Arkansas and South Carolina do not — and the Rebels could find themselves on the bubble, needing to point to LSU as a resume win.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 after taking off from Dubai, UAE, with 182 people including eight crew members flying to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday.
    — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • About two hours after taking off, the aircraft began quickly losing altitude and turned sharply to the north, flight tracking data showed.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of taking off
Verb
  • The probability of a hurricane passing over any particular point is low, especially farther from the Mexican coast, since most Pacific hurricanes tend to stay closer to Mexico.
    — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Related Articles The board previously resolved to erect new buildings for the Latino Museum and the American Women’s History Museum, passing over Arts and Industries.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passing over
Verb
  • The rich collections do a great job of honoring visual traditions and explaining their connections to real people and real places.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • China’s leading firms are still just approaching top US labs in capabilities, partly explaining their lack of transparency.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining

Browse Nearby Words

shrugging
shrugging off
shrug off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrugging off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrugging%20off. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All