disdain

[dis-deyn, dih-steyn]

verb (used with object)

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

to think unworthy of notice, response, etc.; consider beneath oneself: to disdain replying to an insult.

noun

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

Origin of disdain

1300–50; (v.) Middle English disdainen < Anglo-French de(s)deigner (see dis-¹, deign); (noun) Middle English disdeyn < Anglo-French desdai(g)n, derivative of the verb

Related formsself-dis·dain, nounun·dis·dain·ing, adjective

Synonyms for disdain

1. contemn, spurn. 3. haughtiness, arrogance.

Synonym study

3. See contempt.

Antonyms for disdain

1. accept. 3. admiration.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for disdaining

ridicule, arrogance, derision, aversion, antipathy, scorn, dislike, pride, hatred, contempt, despise, spurn, deride, belittle, pooh-pooh, abhor, haughtiness, contumely, hauteur, sneering

Examples from the Web for disdaining

Historical Examples of disdaining

"Do get in, my dear girl," said Nana tranquilly, disdaining the onlookers.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola
But, disdaining my proffered hand, she stepped ashore unaided.
The Suitors of Yvonne
Raphael Sabatini
"And then, this matter of studying," Bobby went on, disdaining her interruption.
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray
The Aztecs literally died in their tracks, disdaining to fly.
South American Fights and Fighters
Cyrus Townsend Brady
But there he stood, as if disdaining to fly, face fronting the enemy.
The Pools of Silence
H. de Vere Stacpoole

British Dictionary definitions for disdaining

disdain

noun

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

verb

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

Word Origin for disdain

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

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

Word Origin and History for disdaining

disdain

late 14c., from Old French desdeignier "disdain, scorn, refuse, repudiate," from des- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + deignier "treat as worthy" (see deign). Related: Disdained; disdaining.

disdain

mid-14c., desdegne "scorn, contempt," earlier dedeyne "offended dignity" (c.1300), from Old French desdeigne, from desdeignier (see disdain (v.)). Sometimes in early Modern English shortened to sdain, sdainful. Related: disdainful; disdainfully.