1
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance
an administration that was willing to shrug off the problem
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment)
she shrugged off her coat and hung it up neatly
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrugging off
Both gave way to Phoenix’s limitless fourth-quarter responses, shrugging off Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren’s late shot-making, as well as the Thunder’s late turn to small ball.
—
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
And some Republicans are shrugging off any one issue as being influential enough to tip the scales.
—ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
New York — The stock market rally has already defied expectations this year, shrugging off geopolitical strife, economic uncertainty and global trade tensions to reach fresh record highs.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
The Warriors took down the Nuggets, 137-131, on Thursday, clawing their way back from a 14-point crater, surviving a 50-point explosion from San Jose’s Aaron Gordon, and somehow shrugging off yet another triple-double from Jokic.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, WBD is shrugging off the downturn, up a hair to near $18, continuing to be buoyed by takeover talk.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
With many shrugging off such transcriptionists inside the office, etiquette around recording outside the office is fraying.
—Iain Martin, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Indonesia still ranks among the more stable emerging markets, Howe said, shrugging off impact from the demonstrations as a near-term setback.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrugging off
Verb
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Alyssa Farah Griffin attempted to cut in, with Navarro ignoring her in the moment.—
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James said the administration has not provided evidence of fraud or misuse of child care funding in New York, while ignoring the standard processes for withholding such funds.—
Verb
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Lucas offered to amend the ordinance, removing the requirement for detention facilities, as well as for other facilities or buildings paid for with public safety sales tax money.—
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If surrounding trees are contributing to harmful debris buildup in your AC unit, pruning overhanging branches or removing the trees might be necessary to protect the unit.—
Verb
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Smaller protests took place in Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Denver, Colorado; Durham, North Carolina; and Tempe, Arizona, where protesters lined a bridge overlooking a highway.—
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Eventually, state workers were relocated and the building sat empty for more than two years overlooking I-84 until it was sold in 2020 for $1 million.—
Verb
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This opening scene establishes a human, forgiving tone for a movie in which we are often encouraged to laugh with our heroes but never at them.—
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The waistband of the wide-leg trousers is fitted with elastic for a stretchy, forgiving fit, and they’re even designed with two deep side pockets that’ll hold your phone in a pinch.—
Verb
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Customers are also putting off purchases due to the back and forth on tariff levels.—
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Millions of Americans are shaving down their grocery budgets and putting off buying a home as wages fail to meet rising costs of living.—
Verb
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Alarmists will often focus on the negative while passing over potential positive outcomes.—
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The epicenter of the hurricane is passing over Cuba at the opposite end of the island to the Caribbean country's capital city of Havana, the BBC noted.—
Verb
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But once inside, as the crackling fire quickly warms you up, there’s no better feeling after hours on the trail than dropping your backpack on the floor, taking off your boots and settling in for a few days of peaceful escape.—
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The plane crashed near Rio Linda Boulevard and Claire Avenue in North Sacramento’s Robla neighborhood shortly after taking off from Rio Linda Airport.—
Verb
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The dispute was resolved after Singh agreed to provide additional context, explaining that the files were collaborative documents shared among participants through the messaging app Signal.—
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Scanning them launches video tutorials explaining what each product does — without forcing customers to ask questions in a store.—
Cite this Entry
“Shrugging off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrugging%20off. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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