Words / B2

dis-MISL/dɪsˈmɪsl/

Dismissal is the official end of someone’s job: unfair dismissal, dismissal for misconduct. Sack and firing are everyday and informal; redundancy is losing a job because the post disappears, not because of your fault. Dismissal is also brushing an idea aside: the dismissal of a claim. Dismiss is the verb. In speech, being sacked / brushing it aside covers the two senses. Keep them apart in writing.

Meaning

The act of officially ending someone’s job; also refusing to take an idea seriously.

Examples

• “His dismissal for lateness surprised the team.”
• “She appealed against her dismissal and won her job back.”
• “His dismissal of the safety report as “panic” was the attitude the inquiry later criticised.”

Good to know

Being sacked; also refusing to take an idea seriously. Verb: dismiss. Contrast: redundancy (the job goes). Everyday: sacked / brushed aside.

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