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.
I grew up calling it elaichi with such disdain that those unfamiliar with its English translation would’ve thought it was something utterly derogatory.
From Salon
People often said a voice “dripped with disdain.”
From Literature
Motor City, it seems, is becoming Mortgage City, though the companies’ disdain for each other makes Ford Motor’s and General Motors’ rivalry pale in comparison.
From Barron's
Motor City, it seems, is becoming Mortgage City, though the companies’ disdain for each other makes Ford Motor’s and General Motors’ rivalry pale in comparison.
From Barron's
Ben manages to turn this mild inquiry into a long disquisition on her selfishness and disdain for his work.
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.
