dismissive / repellent
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dismissive
To behave toward a person in an unfriendly, cool, and distant way, making contact or approach difficult.
Auf meine freundliche Frage reagierte er nur mit einem abweisenden Nicken.
He responded to my friendly question only with a dismissive nod.
'Abweisend' is the present participle of the separable verb 'abweisen' (to reject), which means 'zurückweisen' (to turn away / reject) or 'ablehnen' (to refuse). This basic meaning of rejecting can be found in both uses of the adjective.
Der Türsteher musste leider einige Gäste abweisen.
Unfortunately, the bouncer had to turn away some guests.
When describing whom someone behaves dismissively toward, you use the preposition 'gegenüber' with the dative.
Sie war grundlos abweisend gegenüber ihren neuen Nachbarn.
She was dismissive toward her new neighbors for no reason.
In the meaning of 'not absorbing a substance', 'abweisend' is almost always used as the second part of a compound adjective. The best-known examples are 'wasserabweisend' (water-repellent) and 'schmutzabweisend' (dirt-repellent).
Für die Wanderung brauchst du eine schmutzabweisende Hose.
For the hike, you need dirt-repellent pants.
When 'abweisend' describes a person, it is often combined with nouns such as 'Haltung' (attitude), 'Blick' (look), 'Antwort' (answer), or 'Verhalten' (behavior).
Er gab mir nur eine kurze, abweisende Antwort.
He gave me only a short, dismissive answer.
open
'offen' and 'abweisend' are often opposites when describing people. An open person seems ready for contact, conversations, or new ideas. A dismissive person seems cool, distant, or unfriendly, making it hard for others to connect with them. 'offen' tends to invite conversation, while 'abweisend' tends to keep others at a distance. Here, the contrast concerns the attitude toward other people.
Bei der Besprechung wirkte Tim abweisend und sagte fast nichts.
During the meeting, Tim seemed dismissive and said almost nothing.
Auf dem Amt blieb die Mitarbeiterin freundlich und offen für unsere Fragen.
At the government office, the employee remained friendly and open to our questions.