as in to disdain
to show contempt for
arrogant critics who contemn the general public's taste in art
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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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Trump and his circle disdain the Bush-Ryan-Romney Republican Establishment and Clinton-Schumer-Jeffries Democratic Establishment in equal measure.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Even if the 23rd French president’s time behind bars is cut short, the sound of any jailhouse door hitting him in the rear would be a sweet one for the many, many who disdained his right-wing politics and spectacular thirst for attention.—
Alexandra Marshall,
Air Mail,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
All sorts of people love and hate the show for completely opposing reasons, and yet what the show does is bring those people in a room together to watch art and discuss it afterwards.—
David Zucker,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Alfred Hitchcock hated whodunnits.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Screech your outrage, ACC schools disrespected by just one bid and pound your shoes on a desk somewhere, Notre Dame haters, especially those in the commonwealth of Kentucky and in the sunny setting of Miami.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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In hundreds of communications reviewed by USA TODAY, Rochelle described falling behind on mortgage payments, needing help finding a daycare in Austin and feeling disrespected by caseworkers.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump supporters despised him, while some Democrats embraced him — if reluctantly — and still many others would always condemn him as a war criminal for his role in Iraq.—
Don Gonyea,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
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Both brothers despise their father, for good reason.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the mayoral race between Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, Adams was relegated to an afterthought, an object of ridicule and scorn.—
Molly Ball,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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Many skilled bartenders seem to scorn the Bloody Mary, regarding it as unserious and lightweight, just as many in the food world loathe brunch, the meal most often associated with the Bloody Mary, or wine people ridicule Sancerre, seeing it as a fallback order for people who know little about wine.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemn. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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