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contemn

[ kuhn-tem ]
/ kənˈtɛm /
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verb (used with object)
to treat or regard with disdain, scorn, or contempt.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM contemn

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH contemn

condemn, contemn

Words nearby contemn

contaminate, contamination, contango, contd., conte, contemn, contemp., contemplable, contemplate, contemplating, contemplation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to contemn

disdain, hate, scorn

How to use contemn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contemn

contemn
/ (kənˈtɛm) /
verb
(tr) formal to treat or regard with contempt; scorn

Derived forms of contemn

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
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