MEANING
Disdainful abuse or insulting treatment directed at someone.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- heap contumely on
- endure contumely
On the page
She endured their contumely without lowering her eyes.
The defeated minister returned to a city ready to heap contumely upon him.
Nearby words
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Word forms
- Base
- contumely
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: Usually uncountable; plural contumelies for specific affronts. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.
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