contemptible
adjective
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What Is the Difference Between contemptuous and contemptible?
Contemptuous and contemptible are sometimes confused with each other. This is neither surprising, as they are similar in appearance, nor is it unprecedented: the words were used interchangeably for several hundred years (from the 16th through the 18th century), with each one meaning both "deserving contempt" and "showing contempt." By the early 19th century, some commentators began raising objections when the words were used synonymously, suggesting that they should be distinguished, with contemptuous meaning only "showing contempt" and contemptible only "deserving contempt."
In the following passage, for example, a would-be critic is ridiculed for using contemptible in the sense "showing contempt":
“Young man! my opinion of you is very contemptible.” “All your opinions are contemptible,” rejoined Phillip, quietly. – Garry Avenel, Zou Mou, in The Iris, September, 1841
The distinction hinted at in this rebuke has been observed in English, by professional writers anyway, for close to 200 years.
Examples of contemptible in a Sentence
Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
At the time, some of LeBron’s critics saw this as contemptible.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
Despite his more contemptible tendencies of the past decade, Chappelle is a tremendously gifted stand-up at heart, and these sprawling monologues are always exciting.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Cite this Entry
“Contemptible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemptible. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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