self-contempt
noun
self-con·tempt
ˌself-kən-ˈtem(p)t 
plural self-contempts
: contempt for oneself
Every second year, I resolve to lose weight, only to fail almost instantly, which tips me into a period of self-contempt which inevitably leads to more eating.—
Richard Glover
Richard GloverExamples of self-contempt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Brilliance and self-contempt always interlock with Kennan.
—Nicholas Thompson, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2011
And then the awful demons of self-hate and self-contempt, a hugely negative self-image, took its place in the center of the victim’s being. . . .
—Mark Hertsgaard, TIME, 7 May 2024
If my childhood had been spent in the constant pursuit of being better, the seeds of perfectionism had blossomed into self-contempt.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2023
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Nicholas Thompson, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2011
And then the awful demons of self-hate and self-contempt, a hugely negative self-image, took its place in the center of the victim’s being. . . .
—Mark Hertsgaard, TIME, 7 May 2024
If my childhood had been spent in the constant pursuit of being better, the seeds of perfectionism had blossomed into self-contempt.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Self-contempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-contempt. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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