contemptuous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- contemptuously adverb
- contemptuousness noun
- half-contemptuous adjective
- noncontemptuous adjective
- noncontemptuousness noun
- uncontemptuous adjective
- uncontemptuousness noun
Etymology
Origin of contemptuous
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin contemptu-, stem of contemptus “a slighting” ( contempt ) + -ous
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.
Ukrainian analysts said the government in Kyiv deemed the decision "contemptuous".
From Barron's
“Alien: Earth” simply gives the gamblers familiar faces and, in the case of Boy Kavalier, shows what the dirty, contemptuous feet walking all over us look like.
From Salon
The bond between Addams family members, however, is more deeply explored and their dysfunctional interactions add a new layer of contemptuous humor to the mix.
From Los Angeles Times
Don’t ask the teenagers around your domicile or you’ll rate a contemptuous look.
From Los Angeles Times
By now, it’s hard to interpret as anything other than a justice’s contemptuous refusal to be held to any rules at all.
From Salon
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.
