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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contempt
One Battle After Another is full of pointed little moments like that, details that are at first funny — Lockjaw’s too-tight shirts, a group of separatists’ badly done face tattoos — but ultimately convey contempt for people who wield their power exclusively to hurt others.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
The general contempt with which fans are held.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
And Sunuwar, who miraculously survived, became, in the eyes of the public, another casualty of the governing élite’s contempt for ordinary Nepalis.
—Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Gonzales largely ignored that lawsuit and failed to participate in discovery, causing a judge to hold her in contempt and sentence her to 30 hours of community service, according to the Office of Attorney Regulation, which dinged Gonzales for ignoring a court order.
—Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contempt
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
The general contempt with which fans are held.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
And Sunuwar, who miraculously survived, became, in the eyes of the public, another casualty of the governing élite’s contempt for ordinary Nepalis.
—Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Gonzales largely ignored that lawsuit and failed to participate in discovery, causing a judge to hold her in contempt and sentence her to 30 hours of community service, according to the Office of Attorney Regulation, which dinged Gonzales for ignoring a court order.
—Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contempt
Noun
-
Some earlier African intellectuals looked at Black America with pity, even disdain.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Monster doesn’t have answers for these questions, just a general disdain for Americans and broad observations about our own cowardice.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Raised under Augusta’s religious terror and hatred for women, Ed tries to hide his penchant for ladies’ underwear and masturbation to no avail.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Not as a land of fear, not as a divisiveness, not of government censorship, not of hatred.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contempt. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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