contemn

[ kuhn-tem ]

/ kənˈtɛm /

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verb (used with object)

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

RELATED WORDS

scorn, hate, disdain

Nearby words

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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contemn ON THESAURUS.COM

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 confusedcondemn 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 Formscontemner (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

Word Origin and History for contemn

contemn

mid-15c., from Old French contemner (15c.), from Latin contemnere "to despise, scorn" (see contempt).