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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemptuous
The Supreme Court could potentially blow up this trend
The largest threat to the trend of fewer death sentences and executions is the Supreme Court’s Republican supermajority, which is often contemptuous of precedents handed down by earlier justices who Republican legal elites view as too liberal.
—
Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Evie, who has recently married another woman, is contemptuous of a religion that doesn’t hold space for her identity.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
Reporters circle, looking for a chance to embarrass the military for accepting Black women into its ranks, while male colleagues are openly disrespectful, with Gen. Halt (Dean Norris) setting a contemptuous example from the top.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Trump didn’t go for broad appeal Fabrizio and his allies were openly contemptuous of efforts—in the primary and then the general—to reach more voters.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contemptuous 
Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Evie, who has recently married another woman, is contemptuous of a religion that doesn’t hold space for her identity.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
Reporters circle, looking for a chance to embarrass the military for accepting Black women into its ranks, while male colleagues are openly disrespectful, with Gen. Halt (Dean Norris) setting a contemptuous example from the top.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Trump didn’t go for broad appeal Fabrizio and his allies were openly contemptuous of efforts—in the primary and then the general—to reach more voters.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contemptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous
Adjective
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President-Elect Donald Trump is openly disdainful of many governments in Europe and seems willing to walk away from America’s role as the continent’s protector.—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2025
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Now, the norms for AI will emerge in a political and cultural environment that's hostile to regulation and disdainful of limits.—
Scott Rosenberg,
Axios,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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What price female solidarity and empowerment, after all, if the weapon of actualization is an abusive system, one that invariably draws Santosh into its clubby, scornful, vigilante mindset?—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2025
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Yet feeling out of place has, ironically, brought Escola even closer to their Mary Todd Lincoln, whose fear that a scornful world might keep her offstage gives the show an unexpected pathos.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
2 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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There would be nothing more insulting to our democracy, and to the memory of those who died in connection to that day, than letting rioters walk free.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
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This disastrous budget is even more insulting as Los Angeles County grapples with the devastation from four major fires.—
Bill Essayli,
Orange County Register,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Inside Llewyn Davis star plays Victor Frankenstein, the arrogant scientist who successfully creates life out of an assemblage of deceased body parts.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
30 Jan. 2025
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An arrogant advertiser at the peak of success is forced to promote a tycoon as a presidential candidate, while a mysterious stalker threatens to destroy his agency and his reputation.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Ultimately, the debate over the ability of malicious hackers to trigger a continent-wide blackout is moot and a distraction from the issue that really matters.—
Dan Goodin,
Ars Technica,
23 Jan. 2025
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Android users can also keep Google Play Protect enabled to scan for malicious code—even on sideloaded apps.—
Kate Irwin,
PCMAG,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This abhorrent gesture has no place in our society and belongs in the darkest chapters of human history.—
Flynn Nicholls,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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But many 12-step followers consider taking drugs in order to heal drug addiction to be abhorrent.—
Jan Hoffman,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
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Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.—
Emily DeLetter,
The Enquirer,
10 May 2023
Adjective
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But his cruel divisiveness is deflecting attention from the main event.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
29 Jan. 2025
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Banek has requested the Illinois Department of Public Health probe the cruel death, also asking that all evidence associated with the case be preserved.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near contemptuous
Cite this Entry
“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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