contempt

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• cōtempt (obsolete)
• cõtempt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin contemptus (“scorn”), from contemnere (“to scorn, despise”), from com- + temnere (“to despise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kənˈtɛmpt/, X-SAMPA: /k@n"tEmpt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmpt

Noun

contempt (plural contempts)

1. (uncountable) The state of contemning; the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn, disdain.
2. The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace.
3. (law) Open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body.

Synonyms

• See Wikisaurus:contempt

Antonyms

• See Wikisaurus:contempt

Derived terms

• contemptible
• contemptuous
• contempt of court
• familiarity breeds contempt

Translations

uncountable: a feeling or attitude

• Arabic: احتقار (ar) (iḥtiqār) m
• Bulgarian: презрение (bg) (prezrénie) n, пренебрежение (bg) (prenebrežénie) n
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鄙視 (cmn), 鄙视 (cmn) (bǐshì), 輕視 (cmn), 轻视 (cmn) (qīngshì)

• Czech: opovržení (cs) n
• Dutch: verachting (nl) f, minachting (nl) f
• Finnish: halveksinta, ylenkatse
• French: mépris (fr) m
• German: Verachtung (de) f
• Hebrew: בוז (he) (buz) m

• Icelandic: fyrirlitning (is) f
• Japanese: 軽蔑 (ja) (けいべつ, keibetsu), 侮蔑 (ja) (ぶべつ, bubetsu), 侮辱 (ja) (ぶじょく, bujoku)
• Malayalam: പുച്‌ഛം (puchham)
• Polish: pogarda (pl) f, lekceważenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: desprezo (pt) m, desdém (pt) m
• Russian: презрение (ru) (prezrénije) n, пренебрежение (ru) (prenebrežénije) n
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: nadmenost (sh) f, nadutost (sh) f, prezrivost (sh) f, prezir (sh) m

• Spanish: desprecio (es) m, desdén (es) m
• Swedish: missnöje (sv) n, misshag (sv), förakt (sv) n
• Turkish: küçümsemek (tr)
• Volapük: nestüm (vo)

a state of being despised or dishonored

• Czech: opovržení (cs) n
• Finnish: kunniattomuus
• German: Schande (de) f, Blamage (de) f
• Icelandic: óvirðing (is) f

• Japanese: 軽蔑 (ja) (けいべつ, keibetsu)
• Polish: pogarda f, lekceważenie n
• Russian: позор (ru) (pozór) m, бесчестие (ru) (besčéstije) n
• Spanish: desgracia (es) f, deshonra (es) f, vergüenza (es) f

law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority

• Bulgarian: неуважение (bg) (neuvaženie) n
• Dutch: minachting (nl) f
• Finnish: (open disrespect of a court of law) oikeuden halventaminen
• French: outrage (fr) m
• German: Mißachtung (de) f, Beamtenbeleidigung (de)

• Icelandic: óvirðing (is) f
• Polish: lekceważenie n
• Portuguese: desacato (pt) m
• Russian: неуважение (ru) (neuvažénije) n
• Spanish: desacato (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: des-estimo

Related terms

• contemn

External links

• contempt in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• contempt in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• contempt at OneLook Dictionary Search