Dictionary.com

contemptuous

[ kuhn-temp-choo-uhs ]
/ kənˈtɛmp tʃu əs /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: contemptuous / contemptuously / contemptuousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful; disrespectful.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of contemptuous

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin contemptu-, stem of contemptus “a slighting” (see contempt) + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM contemptuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH contemptuous

contemptible, contemptuous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contemptuous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contemptuous

contemptuous
/ (kənˈtɛmptjʊəs) /

adjective
(when predicative, often foll by of) showing or feeling contempt; disdainful

Derived forms of contemptuous

contemptuously, adverbcontemptuousness, noun
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
FEEDBACK