Contemptuous

Contemptuous
Contemptuous Con*temp"tu*ous (?; 135), a. Manifesting or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful; haughty; insolent; disdainful. [1913 Webster]

A proud, contemptuous behavior. --Hammond. [1913 Webster]

Savage invective and contemptuous sarcasm. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

Rome . . . entertained the most contemptuous opinion of the Jews. --Atterbury.

Syn: Scornful; insolent; haughty; disdainful; supercilious; insulting; contumelious.

Usage: {Contemptuous}, {Contemptible}. These words, from their similarity of sound, are sometimes erroneously interchanged, as when a person speaks of having ``a very contemptible opinion of another.'' Contemptible is applied to that which is the object of contempt; as, contemptible conduct; acontemptible fellow. Contemptuous is applied to that which indicates contempt; as, a contemptuous look; a contemptuous remark; contemptuous treatment. A person, or whatever is personal, as an action, an expression, a feeling, an opinion, may be either contemptuous or contemptible; a thing may be contemptible, but can not be contemptuous. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • contemptuous — I adjective abasing, abject, abominable, abusive, accusatory, arbitrary, arrogant, base, brazen, bumptious, calumniating, calumniatory, calumnious, challenging, compromising, contemptible, contumelious, damaging, decrying, defamatory, defiant,… …   Law dictionary

  • contemptuous — 1590s, from L. contemptus (see CONTEMPT (Cf. contempt)). Related: Contemptuously …   Etymology dictionary

  • contemptuous — [adj] arrogant, insolent audacious, bold, cavalier, cheeky, cold shoulder, condescending, contumelious, cool, derisive, derisory, disdainful, disrespectful, dog it*, hard, hard nosed, haughty, high and mighty*, high hat*, insulting, on high… …   New thesaurus

  • contemptuous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ showing contempt. DERIVATIVES contemptuously adverb contemptuousness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • contemptuous — [kən temp′cho͞o əs] adj. [ML contemptuosus] full of contempt; scornful; disdainful contemptuously adv. contemptuousness n …   English World dictionary

  • contemptuous — adj. contemptuous of (he was contemptuous of all authority) * * * [kən temptʃʊəs] contemptuous of (he was contemptuous of all authority) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • contemptuous — [[t]kənte̱mptʃuəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu v link ADJ, oft ADJ of n If you are contemptuous of someone or something, you do not like or respect them at all. He was contemptuous of private farmers... He s openly contemptuous of all the major political …   English dictionary

  • contemptuous — adjective 1 showing that you feel that someone or something is not important and deserves no respect: Cordelia threw him a contemptuous look. | be contemptuous of: He was openly contemptuous of his elder brother. 2 not feeling any fear in a… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • contemptuous — adj. VERBS ▪ be, sound ▪ Her voice sounded almost contemptuous. ADVERB ▪ utterly ▪ almost ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • contemptuous — con|temp|tu|ous [kənˈtemptʃuəs] adj showing that you think someone or something deserves no respect ▪ Benedict threw her a contemptuous glance. contemptuous of ▪ He was openly contemptuous of his elder brother. >contemptuously adv …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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