1
as in disdainful
feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern
loutish tourists who are contemptuous of the ways and traditions of their host countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
contemptuous comments about the baseball team's pathetic showings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemptuous
In contrast to contemptuous speech, treating people with dignity recognizes the inherent worth of every person and leaves space for holding people accountable by focusing on facts, actions, decisions and outcomes.
—
Timothy Shriver, Twin Cities, 14 May 2025
Thomas Jefferson was contemptuous of federal power, but as president in 1803, Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025
Yet the Administration persisted with its disobedient, if not contemptuous, behavior.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
According to an ancient Greek myth, all those who had fallen in love with the young man Narcissus were met with contemptuous rejection.
—Abigayle Ward, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
Timothy Shriver, Twin Cities, 14 May 2025
Thomas Jefferson was contemptuous of federal power, but as president in 1803, Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025
Yet the Administration persisted with its disobedient, if not contemptuous, behavior.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
According to an ancient Greek myth, all those who had fallen in love with the young man Narcissus were met with contemptuous rejection.
—Abigayle Ward, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous
Adjective
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Trump has even been disdainful or dismissive of the United States’ traditional allies, such as Mexico and Argentina.—
Christopher Sabatini,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
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Wise minds inside the Trump administration will hopefully choose to drop a suit first introduced during by a Biden administration reflexively disdainful of big.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The advisee may present herself as a supplicant but end up an aggressor, demanding and scornful.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Conversations revealed an ongoing dialogue that was not only deeply insulting to Read, but morally offensive to women broadly.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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Trump’s orders are insulting to state and local officials, but especially to the Marines.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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The protests proved conclusively that Americans will not tolerate the deployment of the U.S. military in American cities, the constant line-stepping over constitutional boundaries, the arrests of political dissenters, or the arrogant defense of police-state tactics.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
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The first-degree arson charges and malicious damage by explosive charges are connected to the damage to two homes on each side of Barnette’s property.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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This is not about Western countries being against Iran’s Jurassic theocracy for imprisoning women for failing to cover their heads with a hijab, or for executing gays, or any of its other abhorrent internal policies.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2025
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Political violence is abhorrent and has no place in our political system or our communities.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Living the Values: Nothing is more disparaging for employees than having a leader who demonstrates behaviors that do not align with the organizational values, and no one seems to care.—
Tony Gambill,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
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This realization reconfigures the entire book, recasting their ongoing dialogue and seemingly cordial relations as an interstellar jail—and the novel itself into an extended, especially cruel prison sentence.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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