contempt
Americannoun
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the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.
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the state of being despised; dishonor; disgrace.
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Law.
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willful disobedience to or open disrespect for the rules or orders of a court contempt of court or legislative body.
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an act showing such disrespect.
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noun
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the attitude or feeling of a person towards a person or thing that he considers worthless or despicable; scorn
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the state of being scorned; disgrace (esp in the phrase hold in contempt )
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wilful disregard of or disrespect for the authority of a court of law or legislative body
contempt of court
Synonym Usage
contempt , disdain , scorn imply strong feelings of disapproval and aversion toward what seems base, mean, or worthless. contempt is disapproval tinged with disgust: to feel contempt for a weakling . disdain is a feeling that a person or thing is beneath one's dignity and unworthy of one's notice, respect, or concern: a disdain for crooked dealing . scorn denotes open or undisguised contempt often combined with derision: He showed only scorn for those who were not as ambitious as himself.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contempt
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin contemptus “despising, scorn,” noun derivative of contemnere “to despise, scorn”; see contemn
Explanation
Reserve the noun contempt for an extreme lack of respect: a food snob has nothing but contempt for mass-produced burgers and fries at a fast-food joint. Contempt has nothing to do with the verb condemn, despite the similarity in sound and meaning; it is from Latin temnere "to despise," and if you despise someone, you have contempt for them. It's a harsh term and should be used with care; it's stronger than either disdain or scorn. It suggests you find someone or something utterly worthless. That food snob might say the words "Big Mac" or "Whopper" with a voice dripping in contempt.
Vocabulary lists containing contempt
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 9, List 6
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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.
Without cameras or timely released transcripts or audio, moments of pettiness, score settling, or open contempt for colleagues or parties by the justices can, and have, gone almost entirely unnoticed.
From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026
On Monday, the court said health minister Aden Duale was held in contempt for failing to respond to the order.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
Judge Otis Wright II of Los Angeles put the kibosh to its practice by slapping the Prenda lawyers with stiff sanctions for contempt.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
A judge aligned with Vanderbilt, who had issued an injunction against the new stock, then ordered the arrest of the Erie directors for contempt for violating his order.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Greenspan he viewed as almost beneath his contempt, which was saying something.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
