SCORNFULLY Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

scornfully

adverb

as in contemptuously

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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

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

At the end of a two-week trial, the verdict went strongly in favor of Maria Avila, who was viciously attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown, while emptying trash outside the singer’s Tarzana, California house.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026
Anyone angry enough to punch someone else in the head that viciously should go straight to jail.

— Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 30 June 2026

Definition of viciously

Adverb

With a goalkeeping howler and a red card, Marcelo Bielsa’s side self-imploded at the end of a bitterly disappointing tournament.

— Tim Spiers, New York Times, 30 June 2026
And the organization’s internal splinter groups, the Soviet-leaning Weatherman Underground and the Maoist-leaning Progressive Labor faction fought each other bitterly.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026

Definition of bitterly

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scornful

scornfully

scorning

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“Scornfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scornfully. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of scornfully

adverb

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