disdained; disdaining; disdains
Synonyms
Examples of disdain in a Sentence
Noun
McCarthy's indifference to accolades and his disdain for grandstanding … turned into a disdain even for being understood.
—
Louis Menand, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2004
There is fierce disdain within the Pentagon for the passive U.N. peacekeepers who stood by while thousands were murdered in Bosnia's ethnic cleansing.
—Joe Klein, Time, 24 Nov. 2003
But for all its playful love of puns and cool disdain for "suits," the high-tech world is, at heart, a cruel, unforgiving place ruled by the merciless dynamics of the marketplace.
—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, 27 June 2002
He regarded their proposal with disdain.
I have a healthy disdain for companies that mistreat their workers.
Verb
The right eyes him [Thomas Jefferson] suspiciously as a limousine Jacobin so enamored of revolution that he once suggested we should have one every 20 years. The left disdains him as your basic race hypocrite.
—Charles Krauthammer, Time, 22 May 2000
Only in our last days on the peninsula (the arm of Antarctica that polar scientists disdain as the "Banana Belt") did we see our first frozen sea …
—Kate Ford, Wall Street Journal, 12 June 1998
His vehicle would be a form he both enjoyed and disdained—pulp fiction.
—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 20 Sept. 1992
There is also evidence of epic womanizing that Mr. Schickel mentions but loftily announces that he disdains to tell us about.
—Camille Paglia, New York Times Book Review, 21 July 1991
They disdained him for being weak.
She disdained to answer their questions.
Louis Menand, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2004
There is fierce disdain within the Pentagon for the passive U.N. peacekeepers who stood by while thousands were murdered in Bosnia's ethnic cleansing.
—Joe Klein, Time, 24 Nov. 2003
But for all its playful love of puns and cool disdain for "suits," the high-tech world is, at heart, a cruel, unforgiving place ruled by the merciless dynamics of the marketplace.
—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, 27 June 2002
He regarded their proposal with disdain.
I have a healthy disdain for companies that mistreat their workers.
Verb
The right eyes him [Thomas Jefferson] suspiciously as a limousine Jacobin so enamored of revolution that he once suggested we should have one every 20 years. The left disdains him as your basic race hypocrite.
—Charles Krauthammer, Time, 22 May 2000
Only in our last days on the peninsula (the arm of Antarctica that polar scientists disdain as the "Banana Belt") did we see our first frozen sea …
—Kate Ford, Wall Street Journal, 12 June 1998
His vehicle would be a form he both enjoyed and disdained—pulp fiction.
—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 20 Sept. 1992
There is also evidence of epic womanizing that Mr. Schickel mentions but loftily announces that he disdains to tell us about.
—Camille Paglia, New York Times Book Review, 21 July 1991
They disdained him for being weak.
She disdained to answer their questions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Christine Clarridge, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025
Widespread support for Mangione – based on his appearance and coupled with a disdain for corporate executives – is a dangerous precedent to set given its ramifications on jury nullification.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
As a student at The John Carroll School, Paula Etting disdained public office.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disdain 
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Noun
The disdain for umbrellas is a newer phenomenon, noted third-generation Seattleite Tina Riss Christiansen.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025
Widespread support for Mangione – based on his appearance and coupled with a disdain for corporate executives – is a dangerous precedent to set given its ramifications on jury nullification.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
Unlike drunkenness and hygiene issues — such as clipping fingernails and taking off shoes — which are widely disdained by fellow passengers, opinions on seat reclining mainly fall into two camps: those who say don’t do it, and others who argue the recline button exists for a reason.
—Monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
As a student at The John Carroll School, Paula Etting disdained public office.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disdain
Dictionary Entries Near disdain
Cite this Entry
“Disdain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disdain. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disdain
1 of 2 noun
dis·dain
dis-ˈdān 
: a feeling of scorn for something or someone regarded as beneath oneself
disdain
2 of 2 verb1
: to look with scorn on
disdained us for being afraid
2
: to reject or refuse because of disdain
disdained to answer
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