disdain

[dis-deyn, dih-steyn]

verb (used with object)

1. to look upon or treat with contempt; despise; scorn.

   Synonyms: spurn, contemn
   Antonyms: accept

2. to think unworthy of notice, response, etc.; consider beneath oneself.

   to disdain replying to an insult.

noun

1. a feeling of contempt for anything regarded as unworthy; haughty contempt; scorn.

   Synonyms: arrogance, haughtiness
   Antonyms: admiration

disdain

/ dɪsˈdeɪn /

noun

1. a feeling or show of superiority and dislike; contempt; scorn

verb

1. (tr; may take an infinitive) to refuse or reject with disdain

Other Word Forms

• self-disdain noun
• undisdaining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disdain¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of disdain¹

C13 dedeyne, from Old French desdeign, from desdeigner to reject as unworthy, from Latin dēdignārī; see _dis- ¹ , _deign

Synonym Study

See contempt.

Example Sentences

In the course of his research, Mr. Quinones came to admire the independence of tuba players, the way they remain undaunted in the face of the “disdain or indifference” of their peers.

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But in all three cases, there is some merit to the basic point, worthy of examination and not immediate disdain.

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He disdained the job—which instead went to Oscar Hammerstein II—of writing what would turn out to be the longest-running Broadway musical up to that time.

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People could record shows, customize their program guide to see only the channels they cared for and skip commercials—much to the disdain of advertisers and network TV.

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One can only wonder at the malevolent pleasure he would have felt at his Cubist masterworks ending up at the Met and not at the Tate or MoMA, which he had disdained for decades.

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Related Words

• antipathy 
• arrogance 
• aversion 
• contempt 
• derision 
• dislike 
• hatred 
• pride 
• ridicule 
• scorn