contemn

[ kuhn-tem ]
/ kənˈtɛm /

verb (used with object)

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

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM contemn

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH contemn

condemn contemn

Words nearby contemn

contamination, contango, contd, contd., conte, contemn, contemp., contemplable, contemplate, contemplation, contemplative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to contemned

scorn, hate, disdain

Example sentences from the Web for contemned

British Dictionary definitions for contemned

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