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
That’s fine by an administration that seems basically contemptuous of the very concept of due process.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025
Think of the public dissection of and collective sneer toward pop darlings suffering mental health crises, like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, or the contemptuous treatment of Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential run.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The house’s inhabitants include a servant who is even more bitter and contemptuous than Miss Bohun; an old man who lives in the attic and only comes down for dinner; and a young widow who moves in a few weeks after Felix.
—The Know, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
This is a club that had failed to lift domestic silverware for 70 years and, for more than three-quarters of Neave’s life, had displayed an almost contemptuous attitude towards knockout competitions.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025
Think of the public dissection of and collective sneer toward pop darlings suffering mental health crises, like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, or the contemptuous treatment of Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential run.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The house’s inhabitants include a servant who is even more bitter and contemptuous than Miss Bohun; an old man who lives in the attic and only comes down for dinner; and a young widow who moves in a few weeks after Felix.
—The Know, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
This is a club that had failed to lift domestic silverware for 70 years and, for more than three-quarters of Neave’s life, had displayed an almost contemptuous attitude towards knockout competitions.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous
Adjective
-
Trump has even been disdainful or dismissive of the United States’ traditional allies, such as Mexico and Argentina.—
Christopher Sabatini,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
-
Wise minds inside the Trump administration will hopefully choose to drop a suit first introduced during by a Biden administration reflexively disdainful of big.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump, too, is scornful of what European diplomacy could achieve, declaring recently that Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe.—
Garret Martin,
The Conversation,
15 July 2025
-
The cast gets a huge boost at midseason with the arrival of John Leguizamo, equally broadly funny and vulnerable as Dave’s disgraced former partner, and Anna Chlumsky, hilariously scornful as a law enforcement outsider who gets brought into the story’s chaos.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The fourth-year coach is having none of it, dismissing outside opinions as irrelevant and insulting.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Aug. 2025
-
And slandering council members, who publicly supported Madigan before Khadija Walker was nominated, is disrespectful and insulting.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But this act of arrogant bullying should also re-kindle the spirit of hope and unity that swept through this community in the aftermath of that horrible night in 2016, that still binds Orlando in its 150th anniversary year.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
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Harry Potter fans might recognize Stroma for playing the arrogant Hogwarts student named Cormac McLaggen in the film franchise.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Here is another example from my work: a luxury brand facing daily phishing attacks receives real-time alerts with direct links to malicious sites, allowing their legal team to act immediately.—
Dima Raketa,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Whether for malicious purposes or simply research, someone appears to be using OpenAI’s open-source model for ransomware attacks, according to antivirus company ESET.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
There is no fan base in hockey more frustrated than Buffalo’s, and rightfully so given the franchise’s abhorrent streak of futility.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
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But its placement in the series finale only makes the moment that much more abhorrent.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Living the Values: Nothing is more disparaging for employees than having a leader who demonstrates behaviors that do not align with the organizational values, and no one seems to care.—
Tony Gambill,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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The series centers on a group of kids with latent or emerging special abilities who are subjected to cruel experiments at the mysterious institute of the title, along with a local cop (Ben Barnes) whose story intersects with that of the kids.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
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As Wallace and Gromit investigate this mysterious thief, their paths cross with the cruel, trigger-happy Lord Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes), who has his own ambitions for the competition and Wallace’s love interest, Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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