contemn

[ kuhn-tem ]

/ kənˈtɛm /

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verb (used with object)

to treat or regard with disdain, scorn, or contempt.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

contamination, contango, contd, contd., conte, contemn, contemp., contemplable, contemplate, contemplation, contemplative

Origin of contemn

1375–1425; late Middle English contempnen (< Middle French) < Latin contemnere to despise, scorn, equivalent to con- con- + temnere to slight; see contempt

SYNONYMS FOR contemn

scorn, disdain, despise.

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Related forms

con·temn·er

[kuhn-tem-er, -tem-ner] /kənˈtɛm ər, -ˈtɛm nər/, con·tem·nor

[kuhn-tem-ner] /kənˈtɛm nər/, nouncon·tem·ni·ble

[kuhn-tem-nuh-buhl] /kənˈtɛm nə bəl/, adjectivecon·tem·ni·bly, adverbcon·temn·ing·ly, adverb

pre·con·temn, verb (used with object)un·con·temned, adjectiveun·con·temn·ing, adjectiveun·con·temn·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confused

condemn contemn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contemn

I determined to contemn and despise her; and steadily to refuse the interview.
Secresy|E. (Eliza) Fenwick
So it is with women: you should not contemn women because they rouse a devil in man.
The Soul of a People|H. Fielding
I had reason to contemn my own acquisitions; but were not those of Eliza still more slender?
Arthur Mervyn|Charles Brockden Brown
Were a presidency or a kingdom offered you, spurn it and be wise; but contemn not the glory of being God's stewards.
Thoughts on Missions|Sheldon Dibble

A religion,” said I, “in which you yourself do not believe, and which you contemn.
The Romany Rye|George Borrow

British Dictionary definitions for contemn

contemn

/ (kənˈtɛm) /

verb

(tr) formal to treat or regard with contempt; scorn

Derived Forms

contemner (kənˈtɛmnə, -ˈtɛmə), nouncontemnible (kənˈtɛmnɪbəl), adjectivecontemnibly, adverb

Word Origin for contemn

C15: from Latin contemnere, from temnere to slight

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012