Contemn
[kәn'tem]
Definition
(verb.) look down on with disdain; 'He despises the people he has to work for'; 'The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately'.
Edited by Leopold--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t.) To view or treat with contempt, as mean and despicable; to reject with disdain; to despise; to scorn.
Checker: Paulette
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. Despise, disdain, scorn, scout, spurn, slight, hold in contempt, look down upon, turn a cold shoulder upon, turn up one's nose at, snap one's fingers at, laugh to scorn, point the finger of scorn at.
Editor: Moore
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Despise, disdain, deride, vilify, slight, disregard, scorn
ANT:Respect, revere, venerate, regard
Inputed by Lewis
Definition
v.t. to despise: to neglect to disregard.—n. Contem′ner.
Edited by Gail
Examples
- He was the first man that brought ships to contemn castles on the shore. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- It was a life of toil; for rain and cold were more frequent than sunshine; but it was my pride to contemn the elements. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- On abuse, on reproach, on calumny, it is easy to smile; but painful indeed is the panegyric of those we contemn. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Topsy was at first despised and contemned by the upper servants. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- That this mixture arises from a tacit comparison of the person contemned or respected with ourselves is no less evident. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- Shall I respect man, when he contemns me? Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
Editor: Priscilla