scoffer

IPA/ˈskɒf.ər/
IPA/ˈskɑː.fɚ/

scoffer — noun

  • scoffersingular
  • scoffersplural

1. a person who says unkind or insulting things to show that they do not respect a

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who says unkind or insulting things to show that they do not respect a person, idea, or belief, believing it is not worthy of serious attention

Example

The engineer faced a room full of scoffers who insisted her design would never work.

often face/met with scoffers — prepositional phrase with who-clause

Despite the scoffers in the audience, the young poet finished reading her work with confidence.

despite + scoffers — contrast structure

Common collocations
  • face scoffers
  • meet with scoffers
  • scoffer at
  • scoffer about
  • scoffers in the audience
  • scoffers said/called/claimed
Synonyms
  • mocker

    more direct and common; implies openly imitating or ridiculing

  • detractor

    someone who criticises unfairly; more formal and less emotionally charged than scoffer

  • cynic

    someone who doubts that something good can happen or that people have good motives; broader in meaning

Antonyms
  • supporter

    someone who believes in and defends a person or idea

Grammar Patterns

a scoffer + preposition: scoffer at/about

Usage Note

Often appears in plural form (scoffers) when referring to an opposing group or general sceptical attitude toward an idea or proposal.

Common Mistakes

The teacher was a scoffer of lazy students.
The teacher was a scoffer at lazy students.
The correct preposition is at or about, not of, when indicating the target of mockery.

2. a person who eats a large amount of food extremely quickly, often in a greedy or

2.nounC1
Definition

a person who eats a large amount of food extremely quickly, often in a greedy or messy way

Example

At the wedding buffet, a scoffer ate three plates before most guests had even sat down.

informal British usage — scoffer at a meal event

The children stared as the scoffer wolfed down a whole chicken in a few minutes.

Common collocations
  • a real scoffer
  • scoffer of [food]
  • call someone a scoffer
  • finish [food] like a scoffer
Synonyms
  • gobbler

    also informal; emphasises eating noisily or quickly

  • greedy eater

    more common and neutral; less specific about speed

Antonyms
  • picky eater

    someone who eats only small amounts or very selectively

Grammar Patterns

a scoffer + noun (of food type)

Usage Note

This sense of scoffer is derived from the British informal verb scoff (to eat quickly and greedily). It carries a mildly disapproving or teasing tone and is rarely used in formal writing. Distinguish from Sense 1 by context — this sense only relates to eating.

Common Mistakes

He is a scoffer who eats a lot.
He is a scoffer who ate the whole cake in thirty seconds.
The key meaning is eating quickly, not just eating a lot.

Word family

  • scoff
    verbB2
  • scoffing
    adjectiveC1
  • scoffingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all label people who express negative views, but they differ in tone and focus. A scoffer openly shows contempt through mocking words or laughter, often dismissing something as worthless. A mocker goes further by imitating or ridiculing the target, making the disapproval theatrical. A detractor attacks from the outside by criticising unfairly, often out of resentment rather than genuine disbelief. A cynic holds a general distrust of human motives and expects the worst outcome — this is a worldview, not just a reaction to one idea. A critic can be constructive (e.g., a film critic) but refers broadly to anyone who judges something. For example: 'The scoffers in the gallery laughed at the new sculpture, but the critics published thoughtful reviews the next day.'

mocker ↗detractor ↗cynic ↗critic ↗

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

Scoffer is formed by adding the agent suffix -er to the verb scoff. The older sense of scoff ('to mock') appeared in English in the 1300s and may come from an Old Norse word skopa meaning 'to make a mocking gesture.' The separate sense of scoff ('to eat greedily') emerged in British slang in the 1800s; its origin is uncertain, though it may be related to dialectal English scoff meaning 'food.' Both meanings are still used today, with the mockery sense being far more widespread.