Word: dismiss (verb)

Associations

The word "dismiss" means to send away, reject, or decide that something is not important or not true.

• At work: "The manager dismissed the employee for being late." Here, it means to fire someone.
• In court: "The judge dismissed the case." This means the judge decided the case will not continue.
• In conversation: "She dismissed his idea as silly." This means she did not take his idea seriously. A synonym is "reject," but "dismiss" often implies deciding something is not worth attention, while "reject" means refusing to accept something more generally.

Substitution

Instead of "dismiss," you can use:

• "reject" – but this is more about refusing an idea or offer.
• "fire" – when talking about ending someone's job.
• "ignore" – when you do not pay attention to something. Each word changes the meaning slightly, so choose based on the situation.

Deconstruction

The word "dismiss" comes from Latin "dimittere," where "dis-" means "away" and "mittere" means "to send." So, "dismiss" literally means "to send away."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you had to dismiss an idea or thought?
• How would you feel if someone dismissed your opinion?
• In what situations is it polite or rude to dismiss something?