Word of the Day: dismissive

The word dismissive has appeared in 174 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 8 in “How to Help a Teen Who Can’t Sleep” by Catherine Pearson:

Though the data on teen sleep deprivation is stark, Dr. Sonal Malhotra, an assistant professor of pulmonary and sleep medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, offered parents some reassurance: Many of the teens she treats do not have what she would consider true chronic insomnia, even if on paper they meet the criteria of struggling three or more nights a week for more than three months. Instead, they are simply plagued by poor sleep hygiene.

Dr. Malhotra shares that not to be dismissive of the challenges many teenagers face around sleep, but to reassure families that small changes can often make a dramatic difference. She urges adolescents to make one adjustment to their sleep routine that they think will be doable and likely beneficial — ensuring their room is dark and comfortable, for instance, or avoiding having a large meal or caffeine relatively close to bedtime.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word dismissive in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how dismissive can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.