adj ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Showing contempt or scorn; having a pronounced lack of concern for others viewed as unworthy.

   "He was disdainful of those he thought of as the little people. He openly sneered at them. They mocked him behind his back."

Adjective

1. 1
   having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy wordnet
2. 2
   expressing extreme contempt wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

contemptuousdespisingproudabjuratoryaloofarrogant

Antonyms

All antonyms

humblemodestrespectful

Example

More examples

"She pooh-poohed the idea with a disdainful wave of her hand."

Etymology

From disdain + -ful.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.