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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Recent Examples of contemptible
Your death was preventable, unjust, tragic, and contemptible; utterly contemptible.
—
Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
Reuniting with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director George Roy Hill, Newman and Redford play con men out to ruin a contemptible gangster (Robert Shaw), devising an elaborate scam with plenty of twists, turns, contrivances, and double crosses.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2025
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
Reuniting with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director George Roy Hill, Newman and Redford play con men out to ruin a contemptible gangster (Robert Shaw), devising an elaborate scam with plenty of twists, turns, contrivances, and double crosses.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2025
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptible
Adjective
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Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a pitiful plea for attention on the part of the poster.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Given that California ranks a pitiful 49th in the nation in the condition, safety and costs of roads and bridges, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2025 Annual Highway Report, taxpayers’ transportation dollars would likely be better spent elsewhere.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The politicians who shut down the government are pathetic on both sides of the aisle.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
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His Floyd constantly straddles the line between sweet and pathetic, often falling off one side or the other.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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His Max is both vile and charming, and the result is undeniably magnetic.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
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Slayyyter’s music is vile, explicit, and a threat to common decency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But large-scale remedies, such as finding alternative sources of revenue like a general tax increase to offset property tax cuts, are less likely when lawmakers and Pritzker are seeking reelection — though political pressures are lessened after the November general election in a lame-duck session.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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This struck me as heartbreakingly lame and, therefore, as a moment of vital consequence.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Bisontis’ pass-protection profile doesn’t need a publicist, but his ceiling depends on how much nastier and more consistent the run-blocking becomes.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
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Andoni Iraola’s side is nasty to play against.—
Jackie Powell,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Hungarians living near the southern frontier, where Orbán made a show of building a border fence during the refugee crisis, are travelling to Croatia to buy cheap groceries.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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Ukraine has developed expertise to destroy them through electronic jamming as well as using small, cheap interceptor drones to blow up the Shahed drones.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The five fabulous transfers who make up coach Dusty May’s starting lineup got down and dirty with the rest of the Wolverines to dig out the national championship on Monday.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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And speaking of windows, Wiseman said that the windows of Orion are already dirty because the crew enjoyed looking out of them so much.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Sullivan has run a refreshing offseason, considering his wretched inheritance.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
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Working with his regular cinematographer Oleg Mutu, Loznitsa gives this prison — and authoritarianism itself — a sickly luster without ever denying its wretched stench.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemptible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptible. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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