1
: open dislike and disrespect or mockery often mixed with indignation
2
: an expression of contempt or derision
3
: an object of extreme disdain, contempt, or derision : something contemptible
scorned; scorning; scorns
: to treat with scorn : reject or dismiss as contemptible or unworthy
scorned local traditions
scorned to reply to the charge
scorner
noun
Examples of scorn in a Sentence
Noun
Unlike government censorship, this corruption eats at one of China's more beleaguered professions from within its ranks. The trading of favors for cash is so prevalent that, like the honest cop in a corrupt police unit, an ethical journalist risks the scorn of colleagues.
—
Gady A. Epstein, Forbes, 21 July 2008
He burns with generous indignation at the scorn with which many literary critics have treated Tolkien, and his subtitle, "author of the Century," is meant to provoke. But provocation is only one of his purposes.
—Richard Jenkyns, New Republic, 28 Jan. 2002
Claiming their inalienable rights as teenagers, the two exercise an unmitigated scorn for all adults in the immediate vicinity …
—B. Ruby Rich, Nation, 3 & 10 Sept. 2001
They treated his suggestion with scorn.
an expression full of scorn
Her political rivals have poured scorn on her ideas for improving the tax system.
Verb
My parents scorned packaged and ready-made foods. It did not matter that, at the time, our hometown was a test-market capital for these sorts of food products; my father still thought that convenience food was a Communist plot, and my mother insisted that only trashy people failed to practice a separation of food groups.
—Molly O'Neill, Vogue, January 2007
A union member and activist since age 15, bound for an academic career at Cornell and NYU, Fitch, now past 65, writes like a lover scorned.
—Rob Long, National Review, 13 Feb. 2006
Stung by attacks on his new Excursion—a 12.5-m.p.g. guzzler dubbed "Ford Valdez" by critics—he has expressed fears that auto companies could be scorned like tobacco companies if they don't clean up their act. Similarly, GM has sought to position itself as the greenest car company, beginning in 1996 when it launched the nation's first modern, mass-produced electric car, the EV-1.
—Margot Roosevelt, Time, 14 Aug. 2000
He scorns anyone who earns less money than he does.
Her actions were scorned by many people.
They were scorned as fanatics.
Gady A. Epstein, Forbes, 21 July 2008
He burns with generous indignation at the scorn with which many literary critics have treated Tolkien, and his subtitle, "author of the Century," is meant to provoke. But provocation is only one of his purposes.
—Richard Jenkyns, New Republic, 28 Jan. 2002
Claiming their inalienable rights as teenagers, the two exercise an unmitigated scorn for all adults in the immediate vicinity …
—B. Ruby Rich, Nation, 3 & 10 Sept. 2001
They treated his suggestion with scorn.
an expression full of scorn
Her political rivals have poured scorn on her ideas for improving the tax system.
Verb
My parents scorned packaged and ready-made foods. It did not matter that, at the time, our hometown was a test-market capital for these sorts of food products; my father still thought that convenience food was a Communist plot, and my mother insisted that only trashy people failed to practice a separation of food groups.
—Molly O'Neill, Vogue, January 2007
A union member and activist since age 15, bound for an academic career at Cornell and NYU, Fitch, now past 65, writes like a lover scorned.
—Rob Long, National Review, 13 Feb. 2006
Stung by attacks on his new Excursion—a 12.5-m.p.g. guzzler dubbed "Ford Valdez" by critics—he has expressed fears that auto companies could be scorned like tobacco companies if they don't clean up their act. Similarly, GM has sought to position itself as the greenest car company, beginning in 1996 when it launched the nation's first modern, mass-produced electric car, the EV-1.
—Margot Roosevelt, Time, 14 Aug. 2000
He scorns anyone who earns less money than he does.
Her actions were scorned by many people.
They were scorned as fanatics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
His cultural critiques were unmistakably right-wing, but his scorn for the corporatization of universities might have come from the mouth of a disaffected leftist.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
Hell hath no fury like… an ex scorned?
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scorn
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Noun
Defying public scorn to confront a war’s toll, the activists’ quiet protests echo louder than words.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
His cultural critiques were unmistakably right-wing, but his scorn for the corporatization of universities might have come from the mouth of a disaffected leftist.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
It’s scorned Donald, who saw that scoundrel Lee leaving his mistress’s house this morning.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
Hell hath no fury like… an ex scorned?
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scorn
Cite this Entry
“Scorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scorn. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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