1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the contemptible thieves who stole the Christmas gifts intended for needy children
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
a contemptible attempt at science fiction by someone with no understanding of the genre
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
the contemptible behavior of the students who took part in the hazing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemptible
Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.
—
Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
Despite his more contemptible tendencies of the past decade, Chappelle is a tremendously gifted stand-up at heart, and these sprawling monologues are always exciting.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
Be open-minded and recognize that even a campaign opponent — even the contemptible Trump — can occasionally be onto something worthwhile.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024
Most Europeans find Donald Trump alien and contemptible and a man unsuited for the U.S. presidency.
—David Goodart, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
Despite his more contemptible tendencies of the past decade, Chappelle is a tremendously gifted stand-up at heart, and these sprawling monologues are always exciting.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
Be open-minded and recognize that even a campaign opponent — even the contemptible Trump — can occasionally be onto something worthwhile.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024
Most Europeans find Donald Trump alien and contemptible and a man unsuited for the U.S. presidency.
—David Goodart, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptible
Adjective
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The Browns have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL, ahead of only the pitiful Tennessee Titans.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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On the side of the highway, Wilson cuts a pitiful, solitary figure.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Characters can be pathetic, and frank about their Toledo Truth Teller’s bleak prospects.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Jimmy Kimmel is a pathetic hate monger.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the season’s back half, neither its overloading of vile desecrations nor maudlin sentimentality adds anything that Monster hadn’t already established four episodes ago.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
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Koch’s vile conduct spawns a number of unnecessary fantasy sequences either brought on by the comics or wholly imagined by Ed.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And what about all that nasty mother stuff?—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
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The wedding ballads can wait; this nasty jam should still get the dancefloor packed in the meantime.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This World Cup wasn’t going to be cheap to attend, but these memories for life cost so much that swathes of people can’t even toy with the idea.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Utility executives and analysts have said clean energy projects are crucial to help power new data centers and factories, because they can be built quickly and produce electricity that is relatively cheap.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For both areas, Painter hit the transfer portal and landed a dirty-work center in Cluff.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Far from a knightly war, the German advance in 1941-1942 against France was a dirty one, with thieving of private property and menace against civilians.—
Christopher C. Gorham
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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When the din inside Rams Park had finally subsided, Arne Slot attempted to put a positive spin on a wretched night for Liverpool.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Yes, Baltimore’s defense is wretched, so don’t count on this being a cure-all, exactly.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemptible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptible. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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