First Known Use: 1574
Dictionary
contemptuous
adjective con·temp·tu·ous \kən-ˈtem(p)-chə-wəs, -chəs, -shwəs, -chü-əs\
: feeling or showing deep hatred or disapproval : feeling or showing contempt
Full Definition of CONTEMPTUOUS
: manifesting, feeling, or expressing deep hatred or disapproval : feeling or showing contempt
— con·temp·tu·ous·ly adverb
— con·temp·tu·ous·ness noun
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Examples of CONTEMPTUOUS
- He owned a fine Kentucky rifle, with a cherry wood stock, and was contemptuous of the bulky carbines most of the troop had adopted. —Larry McMurtry, Dead Man's Walk, 1995
- He felt familiar enough to indulge in outbursts of rage or contemptuous sarcasm in her presence, and to display the most withering side of his character, lashing out at the people he despised. —Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 1989
- In his 1978 Harvard commencement address, Mr. Solzhenitsyn seemed at times contemptuous of American democracy … —Daniel Patrick Moynihan, New York Times Book Review, 24 Nov. 1991
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Origin of CONTEMPTUOUS
Latin contemptus (see contempt)
Related to CONTEMPTUOUS
- Synonyms
- abhorrent, disdainful, scornful
- Antonyms
- admiring, applauding, appreciative, approving
CONTEMPTUOUSNESS Defined for Kids
contemptuous
adjective con·temp·tu·ous \kən-ˈtemp-chə-wəs\
Definition of CONTEMPTUOUS for Kids
: scornful <a contemptuous smile>
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