What does scorner mean?
A scorner is a person who expresses contempt or disdain, especially through persistent criticism or ridicule. The word commonly describes someone who rejects or belittles a person, institution, practice, or artistic work. It may suggest a combination of opposition and contempt, and is therefore stronger and more judgmentally coloured than the neutral terms critic or objector. Although still understandable in modern English, scorner sounds somewhat literary or old-fashioned and appears more often in formal writing than in everyday conversation. It is especially associated with forceful verbal opposition: a writer might describe someone as a bitter or relentless scorner of fashionable society. The related noun scorn can refer either to the dismissive attitude itself or, in phrases such as “treated with scorn,” to the expression of contempt.
nounA person who expresses contempt or disdain for someone or something.
- A person who scorns another person, an institution, an idea, or an artistic work.
"Her outspoken criticism made her a scorner of the political establishment."
"The critic was known as a relentless scorner of fashionable art."
"He became a fierce scorner of corruption within the government."
The standard plural is scornerS.
"The novel portrays several political scorners of the old regime."
A scorner does more than disagree: they turn disdain into words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scorner come from?
Scorner was formed in English by adding the agentive suffix -er to scorn, producing a word for a person who scorns. Scorn entered Middle English from Old French escorner, but the exact ultimate origin of the French word is uncertain. The English family includes scorn, scornful, and scornfully, all of which share the same root.
How scorner is actually used
The word is relatively formal and often carries a stronger, more openly hostile connotation than words such as critic or criticise. It is now uncommon compared with the more neutral noun critic.
Easily confused with scorner
A scorner is a person who feels or expresses contempt, whereas scorn is the contemptuous attitude or feeling itself.