Adjacent Words

Contempt definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTEMPT, n. [L. See Contemn.]
1. The act of despising; the act of viewing or considering and treating as mean, vile and worthless; disdain; hatred of what is mean or deemed vile. This word is one of the strongest expressions of a mean opinion which the language affords.
Nothing, says Longinus, can be great, the contempt of which is great.
2. The state of being despised; whence in a scriptural sense, shame, disgrace.
Some shall awake to everlasting contempt. Daniel 7.
3. In law, disobedience of the rules and orders of a court, which is a punishable offense.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; "he was held in contempt"; "the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary" [syn: contempt, disdain, scorn, despite]
2: a manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous [syn: contempt, disrespect]
3: open disrespect for a person or thing [syn: contempt, scorn]
4: a willful disobedience to or disrespect for the authority of a court or legislative body

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin contemptus, from contemnere Date: 14th century 1. a. the act of despising ; the state of mind of one who despises ; disdain b. lack of respect or reverence for something 2. the state of being despised 3. willful disobedience to or open disrespect of a court, judge, or legislative body <contempt of court>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration or worthless, or deserving scorn or extreme reproach. 2 the condition of being held in contempt. 3 (in full contempt of court) disobedience to or disrespect for a court of law and its officers. Phrases and idioms: beneath contempt utterly despicable. hold in contempt despise. Etymology: ME f. L contemptus (as contemn)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contempt Con*tempt" (?; 215), n. [L. contemptus, fr. contemnere: cf. OF. contempt. See Contemn.] 1. The act of contemning or despising; the feeling with which one regards that which is esteemed mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn. Criminal contempt of public feeling. --Macaulay. Nothing, says Longinus, can be great, the contempt of which is great. --Addison. 2. The state of being despised; disgrace; shame. Contempt and begarry hangs upon thy back. --Shak. 3. An act or expression denoting contempt. Little insults and contempts. --Spectator. The contempt and anger of his lip. --Shak. 4. (Law) Disobedience of the rules, orders, or process of a court of justice, or of rules or orders of a legislative body; disorderly, contemptuous, or insolent language or behavior in presence of a court, tending to disturb its proceedings, or impair the respect due to its authority. Note: Contempt is in some jurisdictions extended so as to include publications reflecting injuriously on a court of justice, or commenting unfairly on pending proceedings; in other jurisdictions the courts are prohibited by statute or by the constitution from thus exercising this process. Syn: Disdain; scorn; derision; mockery; contumely; neglect; disregard; slight.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you have contempt for someone or something, you have no respect for them or think that they are unimportant. He has contempt for those beyond his immediate family circle... I hope voters will treat his advice with the contempt it deserves. N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n 2. If you hold someone or something in contempt, you feel contempt for them. Small wonder that many voters hold their politicians in contempt. familiarity breeds contempt: see familiarity PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Disdain, scorn, mockery, derision, contumely, disregard, slight, mean opinion. 2. Shame, disgrace, confusion.

Moby Thesaurus

abhorrence, abjuration, abjurement, affront, antipathy, arrogance, aspersion, atrocity, audacity, aversion, bold front, boldness, brash bearing, brashness, brassiness, bravado, brazenfacedness, brazenness, brickbat, bumptiousness, cheekiness, chucking, chucking out, cockiness, contemptuousness, contradiction, contumacy, contumely, cut, daring, daringness, declination, declining, defial, defiance, defying, denial, denigration, deprecation, depreciation, derision, despisal, despising, despite, disapproval, discard, disclamation, discommendation, discounting, discredit, disdain, disesteem, disfavor, disgust, dishonor, dismissal, disownment, disparagement, dispraise, disregard, disrepute, disrespectfulness, distaste, disvaluation, dump, enormity, exception, exclusion, face of brass, flippancy, flout, flouting, freshness, gibe, hate, hatred, humiliation, ignominy, ignoring, impertinence, impudence, indignity, infamy, injury, insolence, insult, jeer, jeering, loathing, mock, mockery, nonacceptance, nonapproval, nonconsideration, odium, offense, opprobrium, outrage, passing by, pertness, put-down, putting away, putting out, rebuff, recalcitrance, recantation, refusal, rejection, renouncement, repudiation, repugnance, repulse, ridicule, rudeness, sauciness, scoff, scorn, scouting, scurrility, shame, spurning, stubbornness, taunt, throwing out, turning out, uncomplimentary remark