contemptuous
Americanadjective
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other 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.
“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
Some government officials are more openly contemptuous of Labour MPs than ever.
From BBC
Repeatedly, lower courts have been standing up for the Constitution and federal law, trying to constrain a president contemptuous of both, at demonstrable danger to themselves.
From Los Angeles Times
Don’t ask the teenagers around your domicile or you’ll rate a contemptuous look.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
