1
as in disdainful
feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern
loutish tourists who are contemptuous of the ways and traditions of their host countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
contemptuous comments about the baseball team's pathetic showings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemptuous
Critics are sometimes contemptuous of the way superhero entertainment has been embraced by adults, who should presumably be making their way through the Booker Prize longlist.
—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 Apr. 2026
Sara Hershkowitz’s wildly contemptuous Queen adds further soprano glory.
—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
And Alexander Hamilton gets slightly better press than the other two, but he is shown as someone who is brilliant, but self-seeking, arrogant, snobbish, contemptuous of others, and profoundly two-faced.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
There may be fewer scenes in the Causeway oeuvre more chilling than a wordless opening when Kori (Emily Browning) gives a contemptuous once-over to the pile of greasy food in front of her at a pub while her boyfriend Nick (Jai Courtney) is fetching some pints.
—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 Apr. 2026
Sara Hershkowitz’s wildly contemptuous Queen adds further soprano glory.
—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
And Alexander Hamilton gets slightly better press than the other two, but he is shown as someone who is brilliant, but self-seeking, arrogant, snobbish, contemptuous of others, and profoundly two-faced.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
There may be fewer scenes in the Causeway oeuvre more chilling than a wordless opening when Kori (Emily Browning) gives a contemptuous once-over to the pile of greasy food in front of her at a pub while her boyfriend Nick (Jai Courtney) is fetching some pints.
—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous
Adjective
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Amusingly enough, someone who was neither perplexed nor disdainful was a young cast member by the name of Stephen Colbert.
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His whole behavior toward women is so disdainful.
Adjective
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Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
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What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
Adjective
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Tribunals have been appointed, and Coriolanus’ scornful elitism strikes them as too heavy a price for his military protection.
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Atletico did not believe this was a serious attempt to sign the player, and reacted with more angry and scornful social media posts.
Adjective
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According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
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This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
Adjective
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West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
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Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
Adjective
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Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.
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The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.
Adjective
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The general idea predated Wilson, but his willingness to use it in service of that abhorrent compromise—subordinating the dignity and equality of individual people to the importance of the American union—showed that his commitment to popular sovereignty had its limits.
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These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks.
Adjective
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Aggression is the norm A common misconception is that aggression needs to be physical before it’s considered abusive, but that’s not always the case.
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The union did not give specific examples of abusive incidents.
Cite this Entry
“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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