MEANING
Showing open scorn or a feeling that someone or something is beneath consideration.
Use it for
Use for open disdain in expression, speech, or judgment.Show a character dismissing another person or idea as beneath them.
Words that belong together
- contemptuous glance
- contemptuous of authority
- contemptuous tone
On the page
The contemptuous smile vanished when the witness named the missing ledger.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- contemptuous
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Usage notes
Usually takes “of” before the person or thing being scorned; contemptuous describes an attitude, not merely disagreement.
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