as in disdain
open dislike for someone or something considered unworthy of one's concern or respect
my undying contempt for people who abuse animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contempt
While support for the president and contempt for the left has united conservative media for years, Gaza has been driving a wedge between two of the right’s biggest names.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The group pledged support for the creatives known as the Hollywood Ten, who were cited for contempt of Congress after refusing to address the House Un-American Activities Committee about supposed communist affiliations.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
She was acquitted of one other count of contempt.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2025
The judge found Penzone in contempt of court for failing to address the backlog of internal affairs cases as ordered.
—Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contempt
Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The group pledged support for the creatives known as the Hollywood Ten, who were cited for contempt of Congress after refusing to address the House Un-American Activities Committee about supposed communist affiliations.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
She was acquitted of one other count of contempt.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2025
The judge found Penzone in contempt of court for failing to address the backlog of internal affairs cases as ordered.
—Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contempt
Noun
-
There were no scrums, barely any big hits and absolute zero sense of disdain from one bench to the other.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Later, amid speaking about his own wife, interview guest Josh Charles joked about Goldberg's disdain for the previous topic.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
My darling, hatred takes the beauty away.—
Tracee Ellis Ross,
Glamour,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Muschietti touched on this in his movies — the bullying of Mike Hanlon and the hate-crime murder of Adrian Mellon — including the way Pennywise fosters and foments the hatred already lurking in the hearts of Derry’s citizens.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contempt. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share