as in to disdain
to show contempt for
arrogant critics who contemn the general public's taste in art
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemn
Consequently, the Sadrists were contemned and discounted by Iraq’s liberal elite who form the core of the ICP.
—
Benedict Robin, Washington Post, 7 June 2018
Benedict Robin, Washington Post, 7 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemn
Verb
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Lewis Wedlock, a social psychologist specializing in masculinities, notes that the term is especially cutting when a man uses it to refer to another man, which can imply disdain for his authenticity and his submission in pandering to women.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Kleinfeld disdains the concept of work-life separation.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
And he is absolutely hated by MAGA.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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The establishment – those Men in Grey Suits so feared and hated by Diana – are watching closely.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There’s a little rockiness between Mer and DeLuca when DeLuca feels disrespected and unequal in their relationship.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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Your husband overreacted and disrespected you, slapping food and mocking you.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Before Cleopatra, Liz and Dick despised each other.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
4 Oct. 2025
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Really loved, obsessively loved and despised by every critic.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By 1845, Marx was scorning his colleagues for floating in the clouds.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The scorelessness has turned to scorn, too.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemn. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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