Definitions for contempt
kənˈtɛmptcon·tempt

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. contempt, disdain, scorn, despitenoun

   lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

   "he was held in contempt"; "the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary"

2. contempt, disrespectnoun

   a manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous

3. contempt, scornnoun

   open disrespect for a person or thing

4. contemptnoun

   a willful disobedience to or disrespect for the authority of a court or legislative body

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. contemptnoun

   The state of contemning; the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn, disdain.

2. contemptnoun

   The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace.

3. contemptnoun

   Open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. CONTEMPTnoun

   Etymology: contemptus, Latin.

   1. The act of despising others; slight regard; scorn.

   It was neither in contempt nor pride that I did not bow. Esth.

   The shame of being miserable,
   Exposes men to scorn and base contempt,
   Even from their nearest friends. John Denham.

   There is no action in the behaviour of one man towards another, of which human nature is more impatient than of contempt; it being a thing made up of these two ingredients, an undervaluing of a man, upon a belief of his utter uselessness and inability, and a spiteful endeavour to engage the rest of the world in the same belief and slight esteem of him. Robert South, Sermons.

   His friend smil’d scornful, and with proud contempt
   Rejects as idle what his fellow dreamt. John Dryden, Fables.

   2. The state of being despised; vileness.

   The place was like to come unto contempt. 2 Mac. iii. 18.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Contempt

   Contempt is a pattern of attitudes and behaviour, often towards an individual or group, but sometimes towards an ideology, which has the characteristics of disgust and anger.The word originated in 1393, from the Latin word contemptus meaning "scorn". It is the past participle of contemnere and from com- intensive prefix + temnere "to slight, scorn". Contemptuous appeared in 1529.It is classified among Paul Ekman's seven basic emotions of contempt, anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. Robert C. Solomon places contempt on the same continuum as resentment and anger, and he argues that the differences between the three are that resentment is anger directed towards a higher-status individual; anger is directed towards an equal-status individual; and contempt is anger directed towards a lower-status individual.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. contempt

   Contempt refers to a strong feeling of disapproval or disdain towards someone or something considered inferior, worthless, or unworthy. It can also describe the act of disrespecting or disobeying authority, such as a court of law.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Contemptnoun

   the act of contemning or despising; the feeling with which one regards that which is esteemed mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn

2. Contemptnoun

   the state of being despised; disgrace; shame

3. Contemptnoun

   an act or expression denoting contempt

4. Contemptnoun

   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

WikidataRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Contempt

   Contempt is a 1963 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, based on the Italian novel Il disprezzo [A Ghost at Noon]. 1954. OCLC 360548. by Alberto Moravia. It stars Brigitte Bardot.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Contempt

   kon-tempt′, n. scorn: disgrace: (law) disregard of the rules or an offence against the dignity of a court (with of, for).—ns. Contemptibil′ity, Contempt′ibleness.—adj. Contempt′ible, despicable.—adv. Contempt′ibly.—adj. Contempt′uous, haughty, scornful.—adv. Contempt′uously.—n. Contempt′uousness. [See Contemn.]

Matched Categories

1. • Discourtesy
   • Disobedience
   • Disrespect
   • Law

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'contempt' in Nouns Frequency: #2573

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce contempt?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say contempt in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of contempt in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of contempt in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of contempt in a Sentence

1. Devin Nunes:

   Well, I can just tell you we're not just going to hold in contempt -- we will have a plan to hold in contempt and to impeach.

2. William Shakespeare, "The Merry Wives of Windsor", Act 1 scene 1:

   If there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married and have more occasion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt.

3. RAS CARDO REGGAE:

   If america must call itself-a in god we trust-nation as written on its money, then it must stop being -the hypocrite and hate monger that it manifests in other things. We love to shout- oh my god-for so many things which suddenly comes upon us, but still we live a life of hatred and contempt for our fellow man. This hypocrisy will destroy us all. God is not mocked!

4. Albert Camus:

   The aim of art, the aim of a life can only be to increase the sum of freedom and responsibility to be found in every man and in the world. It cannot, under any circumstances, be to reduce or suppress that freedom, even temporarily. No great work has ever been based on hatred and contempt. On the contrary, there is not a single true work of art that has not in the end added to the inner freedom of each person who has known and loved it.

5. William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne:

   You should never assume contempt for that which it is not very manifest that you have it in your power to possess, nor does a wit ever make a more contemptible figure than when, in attempting satire, he shows that he does not understand that which he would make the subject of his ridicule.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=contempt
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Contempt
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=contempt
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contempt
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=contempt
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=contempt
9. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=contempt