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
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are disrespectingprogressive
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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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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:
"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
“They don’t roll their eyes, they can’t talk back, they can be honest and forthright but they don’t disrespect their parents.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
If we treat the women in our lives with disrespect and deceit, we aren’t exactly the picture of a feminist ally.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
No disrespect to the younger Baron, but there is no particular reason to think he will beat the indexes over time.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
She’ll turn to the other men on the train and ask them why aren’t they saying anything, why are they letting a grown man disrespect a girl.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
"There is no place in our band, or in our community, for behaviour that harms or disrespects women."
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 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
And the more Sue disrespects the week on/week off balance, the more Elisabeth will suffer varicose veins, thinning, graying hair, sagging breasts, and other indignities of aging.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2024
“No one disrespects me, especially my children,” he said.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
"Those students who are currently studying in those areas are feeling very disheartened, they're felling ignored and they're feeling quite 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 always felt very loved by the people of Mexico. I’ve never disrespected anyone,” he said during an interview with “Simplemente Fútbol.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
"He was very rude, he disrespected me and mistreated me on the phone," Michelle Bolsonaro, 44, told her 8.2 million Instagram followers about her stepson Flavio Bolsonaro, 45.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
I’ve had this happen to me, and I always feel a bit like I’m being disrespected.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
In doing so, he will be disrespecting the wishes of his wife.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 17, 2025
When addressing someone they look down on or are disrespecting, the Yautja use wul, while someone they respect would be addressed as dau.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025
“Stop disrespecting me,” she fires back, before her team surrounds her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
Angry Tanzanian MPs on Monday accused Kenyans of cyberbullying and disrespecting Tanzanian sovereignty and "meddling in domestic affairs".
From BBC ● May 28, 2025
It was fatiguing, but nothing was sacred to the Kerch except trade, so she’d gone out of her way to make the risk much higher than the reward when it came to disrespecting her.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
