disrespect
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
disrespects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disrespected,
past participle, past
-
disrespecting
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disrespectsimple
-
disrespectssimple
-
have disrespectedperfect
-
has disrespectedperfect
-
am disrespectingprogressive
-
are disrespectingprogressive
-
is disrespectingprogressive
-
have been disrespectingperfect progressive
-
has been disrespectingperfect progressive
Past
-
disrespectedsimple
-
had disrespectedperfect
-
was disrespectingprogressive
-
were disrespectingprogressive
-
had been disrespectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disrespect
Explanation
To disrespect someone is to act in an insulting way toward them. When you disrespect people, you think very little of them. Disrespect is all about not showing respect. Actually, it's about showing the opposite of respect, by acting rude, impolite, and offensive. Talking back to your teacher is showing disrespect for her authority. Not giving up your seat to an elderly person is an act of disrespect. So is ignoring the customs and culture in a foreign country. The slang abbreviation dis comes from disrespect and means the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing disrespect
Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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Dear Martin
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"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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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.
See Examples For:
“And as we transition, we cannot keep making these mistakes and treating people really with the disrespect that dirty energy has treated our communities with.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
He added that they treated the Royal Family with "great disrespect".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“It shows absolute disrespect for the court, for the jury, for this entire process,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"Systematic maintenance efforts are being carried out" to prevent "any disrespect toward the commemorative statues", and to ensure "future generations can continue to study Myanmar's historical heritage in a correct and appropriate manner", she added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
She trusted that “Miss Lumley” would come soon enough, but when they said “Lumawoo,” it was perfectly clear to whom they were speaking, and she knew no disrespect was intended.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
A petition set up by a friend of Meredith Kercher gathered nearly 5,000 signatures before the show launched, arguing the show disrespects her memory.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
To rely on acquitted conduct disrespects the jury’s role and undermines public faith in our criminal-justice system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Yes, I’m biased against anyone who’s that uncivil, especially when he disrespects facts or — worse — is a pathological liar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025
“He has disgraced his country and disrespects everyone around him because he is a sad individual who is mad about how his miserable life has turned out.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
He was a runaway and a thief and a liar, and if there was a word for someone who disrespects a monk in his own temple, he was that, too.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
It does not care whether it was hidden or disrespected, whether you craved it or merely added it, whether the broccoli arrived under a glossy blanket of cheese.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Iglesias, 82, called the accusations "absolutely false", saying he had never "abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman".
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Students training to be teachers in Science, Maths and Irish who do not qualify for support of up to £20,000 feel "disheartened" and "disrespected".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“It’s disappointing in that regard, to feel disrespected a little bit.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
I’ve had this happen to me, and I always feel a bit like I’m being disrespected.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
It respects the people around me without disrespecting myself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
"I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don't like disrespecting people. That's not what I do."
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
In doing so, he will be disrespecting the wishes of his wife.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 17, 2025
Still, the first “Limitless” had its “Goop”-y moments, such as an indigenous ceremony that was criticized for allegedly disrespecting a sacred site.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025
“What did I tell you about disrespecting my boys?”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
