noun
verb
Related Words
See contempt.
Other Word Forms
- self-disdain noun
- undisdaining adjective
Etymology
Origin of disdain
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English disdainen, from Anglo-French de(s)deigner, equivalent to dis- 1 + deign; noun derivative of the verb
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 Lions are going to play hard for Dan Campbell, but disdain for a division rival will only take them so far.
From Los Angeles Times
Playing a jilted wife whose disdain for her husband swells as the film progresses, "Contempt" was one of Bardot's rare critically acclaimed films, with The New York Times praising it as her best acting performance.
From Barron's
In a December 1904 message to Congress, Roosevelt disdained any “unmanly” inclination to a “peace of tyrannous terror, the peace of craven weakness, the peace of injustice.”
From Salon
Sometimes the thin line between love and hate, including the brand of disdain that’s just for show, can be bridged by a tuna melt.
From Salon
Mr. Park’s movie maintains a goofy, anything-can-happen quality reminiscent of “Fargo,” however, and isn’t particularly heavy-handed in its disdain for corporations.
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.
