scornful

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Middle English scorn

Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-nós

Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós

Proto-Germanic *fullaz

Proto-Germanic *-fullaz

Old English -ful

Middle English -ful

Middle English scornful

English scornful

Inherited from Middle English scornful; equivalent to scorn +‎ -ful.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskɔɹnfəl/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskɔːnfəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)nfəl
• Hyphenation: scorn‧ful

Adjective

scornful (comparative more scornful, superlative most scornful)

1. Showing scorn or disrespect; contemptuous; scathing; withering.

   Synonyms: blistering, disrespectful, sneerful; see also Thesaurus:disdainful

   • 1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “The Introites, Collectes, Epistles, and Gospels to be Used at the Celebracion of the Lordes Supper & Holy Communion, throughe the Yeare: With Proper Psalmes, and Lessons for Diuers Feastes and Dayes”, in The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], →OCLC, folio viia, recto:

     Bleſſed is that man that hath not walked in the counſaile of the vngodly: nor ſtand in the waye of ſynners, and hath not ſit in the ſeate of ſkornefull.

   • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 229, column 1:

     Fie, fie, vnknit that thretaning vnkinde brovv, / And dart not ſcornefull glances from thoſe eies, / To vvound thy Lord, thy King, thy Gouernour.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Silverside”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 316:

     Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics."

Derived terms

• scornfully
• scornfulness

Translations

showing scorn or disrespect; contemptuous

• Bulgarian: презрителен (bg) (prezritelen), пренебрежителен (bg) (prenebrežitelen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輕視的 / 轻视的 (zh) (qīngshì de)

• Czech: pohrdavý
• Dutch: minachtend (nl), minachtende (nl)
• Finnish: ylenkatseellinen, ivallinen (fi), halveksiva (fi)
• French: méprisant (fr), dédaigneux (fr)
• German: verächtlich (de)
• Greek: περιφρονητικός (el) (perifronitikós), καταφρονητικός (el) (katafronitikós)
• Italian: disprezzante (it), sprezzante (it), sdegnoso (it)
• Korean: 냉소적인 (naengsojeogin), 경멸적 (ko) (gyeongmyeoljeok)
• Māori: hīkaka te ihu
• Middle English: scornful
• Persian: تحقیرآمیز (tahqir-âmiz)
• Polish: pogardliwy (pl)
• Russian: презри́тельный (ru) (prezrítelʹnyj), надме́нный (ru) (nadménnyj)
• Spanish: despreciativo
• Swedish: föraktfull (sv)
• Tocharian B: erkatte
• Ukrainian: прези́рливий (prezýrlyvyj), знева́жливий (znevážlyvyj)

Middle English

Alternative forms

• scornfull, scronful, skornefull, skornefulle, skornful

Etymology

From scorn (“scorn”) +‎ -ful (“-ful”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskɔrnful/, /ˈskɔːrnful/

Adjective

scornful (Late Middle English, uncommon)

1. scornful, contemptuous
2. mocking, derisive
3. (rare) deceitful, misleading

Derived terms

• scornfully

Descendants

• English: scornful
• Scots: scornfu

References

• “scō̆rnful, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.