as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
a well-reasoned thesis that merited more than just a scornful, contumelious response
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contumelious
Adjective
-
A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025 -
Otero Cruz, from Women Against Abuse, said leaving an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time for survivors.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Trump’s orders are insulting to state and local officials, but especially to the Marines.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
But those first two seasons are really timeless — thrilling, ambitious, outrageous to this day.—
Los Angeles Times Staff,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
-
Whitehead said what’s happening now is a case of the internet doing what the internet often does: amplify the loudest and most outrageous voices.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The ex-data processor for the Boston Transportation Department was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of: rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
-
But the legal standard for what qualifies as obscene is extremely high.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Contumelious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumelious. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share