contemptible

non·con·tempt·i·ble·ness, nounnon·con·tempt·i·bly, adverbun·con·tempt·i·bil·i·ty, nounun·con·tempt·i·ble, adjectiveun·con·tempt·i·ble·ness, nounun·con·tempt·i·bly, adverb

Can be confusedcontemptible contemptuous

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

Examples from the Web for contemptible

His actions were cruel and vicious—and also squalid and contemptible.
An ISIS Killer in His Own Awful Words|Miranda Frum|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Actions that a writer deems “depressing” and contemptible have not been “justified” by him or his publication.
Open Zion Should Not Mean Open Season on Israel|Gil Troy|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But if you do, bear in mind that ugly and contemptible things lurk beneath its surface.
Texas Sheriff's Department to Fiona Apple: "Shut Up and Sing"|Megan McArdle|September 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
That of course was contemptible and directly counter to every laudable value this country stands for.
In Defense of the Defense of Chris Hayes|Michael Tomasky|May 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

As she puts it, classically and memorably, "You are the most contemptible man I've ever met."
Nora Ephron’s Favorite Love Stories|Nora Ephron|February 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Happily the subject is usually picturesque, and old Holinshed at his worst was no contemptible writer.
The Battaile of Agincourt|Michael Drayton
The squire's pride was being slowly undermined, his arrogance seemed almost a contemptible thing.
The Squire's Daughter|Silas K(itto) Hocking
They make it no contemptible appendage even to the famous spots in its immediate 177 neighbourhood.
Sketches from the Subject and Neighbour Lands of Venice|Edward A. Freeman
I have been told of a contemptible journal in this city which is said to have preached war against France with a rabid fanaticism.
Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia|L. Mhlbach,
Such characters make themselves despicable and contemptible in eyes of the English themselves.
Woman's Endurance|A.D.L.

British Dictionary definitions for contemptible

contemptible

/ (kənˈtɛmptəbəl) /

adjective

deserving or worthy of contempt; despicable

Derived Formscontemptibility or contemptibleness, nouncontemptibly, adverb

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 contemptible

contemptible

adj.

late 14c., from Latin contemptibilis "worthy of scorn," from contempt-, past participle stem of contemnere (see contempt). Related: Contemptibility; contemptibly.

contemptible

adjective

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Origin of contemptible

Examples from the Web for contemptible

British Dictionary definitions for contemptible

contemptible

adjective

Word Origin and History for contemptible

contemptible