disdain

1 of 2

noun

dis·​dain dis-ˈdān How to pronounce disdain (audio)
: a feeling of contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior : scorn

disdain

2 of 2

verb

dis·​dain dis-ˈdān How to pronounce disdain (audio)
disdained; disdaining; disdains

transitive verb

1
: to look on with scorn
disdained him as a coward
2
: to refuse or abstain from because of a feeling of contempt or scorn
disdained to answer their questions
3
: to treat as beneath one's notice or dignity
Choose the Right Synonym for disdain

despise, contemn, scorn, disdain mean to regard as unworthy of one's notice or consideration.

despise may suggest an emotional response ranging from strong dislike to loathing.

despises cowards

contemn implies a vehement condemnation of a person or thing as low, vile, feeble, or ignominious.

contemns the image of women promoted by advertisers

scorn implies a ready or indignant contempt.

scorns the very thought of retirement

disdain implies an arrogant or supercilious aversion to what is regarded as unworthy.

disdained popular music

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In an interview with Hot Press in 2020, republished shortly after her death in July 2023, O’Connor spoke at length about her disdain for Trump, who at the time was still in the White House. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2024 So no matter how much disdain players have for the ritual, it is believed that no combine participant has ever refused to take part in the medical examination. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The tension between The View cohosts Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro just grew thicker than the latter's impassioned disdain for the results of the show's 2023 Pooch Pageant that still haunts her waking life. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2024 International disdain has made Russia the most heavily sanctioned country in the world. Matthew Chance, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 Much of the time, the main character Dr. House has not just flawed relationships with patients but often has an outright disdain and antagonist relationship at hand. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Putin still largely refuses to say his name, in a show of disdain. Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 The singer posted a series of social media messages expressing his contempt for the institution, along with some ongoing disdain for his brother, Noel. Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024 Why all this disdain for the doers and the builders? Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
But the initial skeptical reactions from some highlight the volatile relationship between the company and its users who, although attached to the online communities that the social platform hosts, sometimes disdain its decisions on policing content, generating revenue, and launching new features. Robert Peck, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024 Reviews have largely been positive as well, with many of them noting the show’s much more faithful adaptation of the first book in Riordan’s series, The Lightning Thief, than the 2010 feature film that many of the book’s avid fans (and the author) disdained. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 Ana is also disdained by Claire’s model-sized mean-girl assistants Suzette (Rachel Matthews) and Renee (Fola Evans-Akingbola). Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024 Over and over and over again, the Democrats have been told that the country dislikes their candidate, disdains his presidency, and loathes his understudy — and, in response, the party has decided to keep everything exactly the same. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 For the most part my efforts at sculpting a musical identity were fueled by an esotericism that disdained common and easily accessible genres. Justin E. H. Smith, Harper's Magazine, 6 Sep. 2023 The world of anti-car advocacy is also full of arguments that transit activists will be treated as liberators by millions of Americans who secretly hate driving, disdain the country’s low-density suburbs, and desperately yearn for an authentic big-city subway experience. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 17 Dec. 2023 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel heads a right-wing government with members who openly disdain the idea. Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 9 Dec. 2023 Both elections showed that establishment leaders had disdained the wishes and concerns of their voters—at their peril. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disdain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English desdeyne, from Anglo-French desdaign, from desdeigner — see disdain entry 2

Verb

Middle English desdeynen, from Anglo-French desdeigner, dedeigner, from Vulgar Latin *disdignare, from Latin dis- + dignare to deign — more at deign

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disdain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near disdain

Cite this Entry

“Disdain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disdain. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disdain

1 of 2 noun
dis·​dain dis-ˈdān How to pronounce disdain (audio)
: a feeling of scorn for something or someone regarded as beneath oneself

disdain

2 of 2 verb
1
: to look with scorn on
disdained us for being afraid
2
: to reject or refuse because of disdain
disdained to answer

More from Merriam-Webster on disdain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!