disrespect
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- disrespectful adjective
- disrespectfully adverb
- disrespectfulness noun
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.
“It was never my intention to disrespect anybody,” he said in the video posted to Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Raleigh said after the Arozarena snub that he meant no disrespect to his teammate and that he’s simply trying to put on a game face for an international competition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
The unions still accused him of fostering disrespect.
From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026
Kaufman stressed: "The defence does not disrespect the soul of any deceased person, nor does it make light of the loss of life."
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
No disrespect to Shakespeare, Tolstoy, or Moby-Dick is intended by this, for every poet knows it already.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
