disrespect
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disrespectsimple
-
disrespectssimple
-
have disrespectedperfect
-
has disrespectedperfect
-
am disrespectingprogressive
-
are disrespectingprogressive
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is disrespectingprogressive
-
have been disrespectingperfect progressive
-
has been disrespectingperfect progressive
Past
-
disrespectedsimple
-
had disrespectedperfect
-
was disrespectingprogressive
-
were disrespectingprogressive
-
had been disrespectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disrespect
Explanation
To disrespect someone is to act in an insulting way toward them. When you disrespect people, you think very little of them. Disrespect is all about not showing respect. Actually, it's about showing the opposite of respect, by acting rude, impolite, and offensive. Talking back to your teacher is showing disrespect for her authority. Not giving up your seat to an elderly person is an act of disrespect. So is ignoring the customs and culture in a foreign country. The slang abbreviation dis comes from disrespect and means the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing disrespect
Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We saw the disrespect and destruction of a community that should have been listened to," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Systematic maintenance efforts are being carried out" to prevent "any disrespect toward the commemorative statues", and to ensure "future generations can continue to study Myanmar's historical heritage in a correct and appropriate manner", she added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
If we treat the women in our lives with disrespect and deceit, we aren’t exactly the picture of a feminist ally.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
No disrespect to the younger Baron, but there is no particular reason to think he will beat the indexes over time.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
“You disrespect your King, and I will not tolerate that,” he snapped.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
To rely on acquitted conduct disrespects the jury’s role and undermines public faith in our criminal-justice system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
“He has disgraced his country and disrespects everyone around him because he is a sad individual who is mad about how his miserable life has turned out.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
We are a diverse species that disrespects its diversity.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2023
"A ball-by-ball commentary is detrimental to the cause of the investigation and disrespects the deceased," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2022
He was a runaway and a thief and a liar, and if there was a word for someone who disrespects a monk in his own temple, he was that, too.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
A second crisis hit Flavio's campaign when his stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, posted an Instagram video saying he had "disrespected me and mistreated me ... he said I didn't understand anything about politics."
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
He struggled to win over the crowd during his astonishing 2019 Wimbledon final victory over Federer and felt disrespected by their cheers in his match against Holger Rune two years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Brunson embodies Knicks fans as they see themselves: confident, gritty, crafty, a tad disrespected, good in a jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Labour group leader, councillor Kate Ewert, said smaller councils had been "disrespected and ignored" during the process.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Pong thought about how he’d demanded his freedom, how he’d disrespected his teacher.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Belov replied: "You are right. I needed to know why they are disrespecting me for no reason."
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
In doing so, he will be disrespecting the wishes of his wife.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 17, 2025
“Starbucks’ long pattern of disrespecting workers’ rights stands in stark contrast to the Olympic spirit, which celebrates human dignity, fairness, solidarity, and teamwork,” Eisen said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
“Stop disrespecting me,” she fires back, before her team surrounds her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
"That is insubordinate. It is improper. It is disrespecting of her teachers—" In his anger he had forgotten his fear of lurking spies: each wrong he voiced was a decibel higher than the last outrage.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
