brushes off

VERB

ignore; refuse

Synonyms

WEAK

boycott cold-shoulder contradict cut deny disclaim dismiss disown disregard get rid of have no time for ostracize override rebuff reject repudiate scorn send away slight snub spurn sweep aside

Antonyms

WEAK

attend pay attention see

VERB

ignore

Synonyms

WEAK

boycott brush aside cold-shoulder contradict cut deny disclaim dismiss disown disregard ostracize override rebuff refuse reject repudiate scorn send away slight snub spurn sweep aside

Antonyms

WEAK

attend pay attention

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Elliott brushes off the question, but I would guess that many fiction writers would find it just as uncomfortable to answer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Balch, who brushes off hiring two of the game’s best race callers as just part of the job, could not compliment Denman enough.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2025

The man who chairs this committee, never having reviewed the affidavit, dismisses it as false, and brushes off the witness, a woman, as not credible.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2025

His grandmother senses the peril in Solomon’s overconfident business strategy, especially as he brushes off warnings that sound familiar from the other side of the Great Recession.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2024

The woman gets to her feet and brushes off her pants.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth