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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 contemptuous
And Alexander Hamilton gets slightly better press than the other two, but he is shown as someone who is brilliant, but self-seeking, arrogant, snobbish, contemptuous of others, and profoundly two-faced.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
There may be fewer scenes in the Causeway oeuvre more chilling than a wordless opening when Kori (Emily Browning) gives a contemptuous once-over to the pile of greasy food in front of her at a pub while her boyfriend Nick (Jai Courtney) is fetching some pints.
—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
The tone of the FDA's message, Chaccour says, carried with it a contemptuous and toxic undertone, which only helped to escalate the political tensions around ivermectin that continue to this day.
—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
Written in a joking and contemptuous tone, the tweet would take on an indescribably morbid weight just five days later, when, at the behest of Governor Cláudio Castro, the Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest massacre in the country’s history.
—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
There may be fewer scenes in the Causeway oeuvre more chilling than a wordless opening when Kori (Emily Browning) gives a contemptuous once-over to the pile of greasy food in front of her at a pub while her boyfriend Nick (Jai Courtney) is fetching some pints.
—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
The tone of the FDA's message, Chaccour says, carried with it a contemptuous and toxic undertone, which only helped to escalate the political tensions around ivermectin that continue to this day.
—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
Written in a joking and contemptuous tone, the tweet would take on an indescribably morbid weight just five days later, when, at the behest of Governor Cláudio Castro, the Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest massacre in the country’s history.
—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous
Adjective
-
Amusingly enough, someone who was neither perplexed nor disdainful was a young cast member by the name of Stephen Colbert.
-
His whole behavior toward women is so disdainful.
Adjective
-
Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
-
What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
Adjective
-
Atletico did not believe this was a serious attempt to sign the player, and reacted with more angry and scornful social media posts.
-
Many who lived through the pandemic—and witnessed this inability to combat the lethal pestilence—developed scornful opinions of the medical profession.
Adjective
-
According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
-
This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
Adjective
-
West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
-
Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
Adjective
-
Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.
-
While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.
Adjective
-
The general idea predated Wilson, but his willingness to use it in service of that abhorrent compromise—subordinating the dignity and equality of individual people to the importance of the American union—showed that his commitment to popular sovereignty had its limits.
-
These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks.
Adjective
-
The film has been described as a Social Network-esque feature that covers the tumultuous 2023 period in which Altman, amid AI safety concerns and reports of abusive behavior, was fired and rehired by OpenAI within a matter of days.
-
Better intervention programs for abusive men could help, too, Salinas said, but most of those arrested on domestic violence charges never complete such a program.
Cite this Entry
“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
