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
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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
There are some good, compassionate officers out there, but the general attitude has become cold, cruel and contemptuous toward homeless individuals.
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Bruce Higgins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025
The wit and wordplay never cease, and there’s much pleasure to be drawn from Colman and Cumberbatch spitting McNamara’s contemptuous dialogue with aplomb.
—Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Some of the reviews and the coverage were so contemptuous.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Entirely contemptuous of legal precedent, his administration is more focused on instilling fear than on effectively decreasing crime.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous
Adjective
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Yet whenever Bunny turns away from Frank to take a call from one of his underlings about the day-to-day violence and ugliness of their industry, a somewhat disdainful look passes across Frank’s face.—
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Godchaux was a divisive figure among Grateful Dead devotees — many fans were frankly outright disdainful of her presence on stage.—
Adjective
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Despite that criticism, Trump doubled down on his scornful comments about Reiner at a press conference on Monday.—
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Loyal to the Emperor, scornful of the aristocracy, and sympathetic to the peasants’ desire for liberation, if not their bloodlust, he is torn between medieval chivalry and modern self-preservation.—
Adjective
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Many researchers cite those exact words as insulting or wrong when asked about their own terminations.—
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With two toddlers and a 10-hour workday for her husband, the advice was more insulting than helpful.—
Adjective
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This version of Ryan was arrogant, unable to conceal pride in his accomplishment.—
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So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
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And at the heart of the series was the parasitic dynamic between Pine and his delightfully malicious foe, an arms dealer named Richard Onslow Roper (Hugh Laurie).—
Adjective
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What our country is doing is abhorrent and untenable.—
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What an abhorrent signing this has turned out to be.—
Adjective
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Conservative pundit Meghan McCain blasted commentator Tucker Carlson after a guest on his podcast and online show this week made a disparaging remark about her weight.—
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Emily’s father didn’t say it in a disparaging way—more like That was just Ryan.—
Adjective
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The forest had taught him that city dwellers could often be regulated by cruel and rather unpredictable codes.—
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That Maduro is a cruel dictator is clear; that Trump intends more than just his arrest (such as taking their oil) is equally clear.—
Cite this Entry
“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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