contemptuous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contemptuous
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin contemptu-, stem of contemptus “a slighting” ( see contempt) + -ous
Explanation
If you insult someone or dismiss them in a hateful way, you're being contemptuous. The difference between being hateful and contemptuous is subtle. It involves disdain. Being contemptuous of someone or something means that you're combining a deep dislike for them with condescension. To insult someone is a good way of showing contempt, i.e., of being contemptuous. "You disgust me," is one of the simplest and most contemptuous things you can say to someone. "You're stupid," is another. If you can think of something that both hurts a person and suggests that you're looking down on them, you've come up with a contemptuous thing to say.
Vocabulary lists containing contemptuous
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Grade 10, List 2
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The Pearl
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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.
The most prominent such example in “Flunked” is the seemingly international acknowledgement that today’s teenager is phone-fixated, disenchanted and contemptuous of adults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Before long, the band was playing in New York, rubbing shoulders with Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Blondie at CBGBs and shaking punks out of their contemptuous indifference.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
Ukrainian analysts said the government in Kyiv deemed the decision "contemptuous".
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
Fuzzy, jangly, lightly contemptuous: “Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos” is truly one of the great ’90s rock songs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
He shifted to a two- hand grip, quick enough to deliver a stroke of his own, but the big ranger brushed it aside with contemptuous ease.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
