as in to disdain
to show contempt for
arrogant critics who contemn the general public's taste in art
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Example Sentences
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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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California’s Democratic establishment disdains Citizen Pratt.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
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Lewis Wedlock, a social psychologist specializing in masculinities, notes that the term is especially cutting when a man uses it to refer to another man, which can imply disdain for his authenticity and his submission in pandering to women.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, her sister Bree (Lynch) hates the thought of motherhood.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
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In the clip, White jokes about hating Reynolds.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lee disrespects national park values with these twin bills, and Curtis, who likes to tout his nature sensitivity on hikes with constituents, should know better.—
Stephen Trimble,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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The premiere episode opens with Colter starting a brawl in a small town bar after another patron disrespects the bartender.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Both brothers despise their father, for good reason.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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The fact that the film is named after its subject’s most beloved — and most despised by Hart himself — hit tells you everything.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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It’s scorned Donald, who saw that scoundrel Lee leaving his mistress’s house this morning.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
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Hell hath no fury like… an ex scorned?—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemn. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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