contempt
contempts
Reserve the noun contempt for an extreme lack of respect: a food snob has nothing but contempt for mass-produced burgers and fries at a fast-food joint.
Contempt has nothing to do with the verb condemn, despite the similarity in sound and meaning; it is from Latin temnere "to despise," and if you despise someone, you have contempt for them. It's a harsh term and should be used with care; it's stronger than either disdain or scorn. It suggests you find someone or something utterly worthless. That food snob might say the words "Big Mac" or "Whopper" with a voice dripping in contempt.
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lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
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open disrespect for a person or thing
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synonyms:
scorn
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types:
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fleer
contempt expressed by mockery in looks or words
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leer, sneer
a facial expression of contempt or scorn; the upper lip curls
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sneer
a contemptuous or scornful remark
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type of:
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discourtesy, disrespect
an expression of lack of respect
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fleer
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a manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous
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synonyms:
disrespect
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type of:
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discourtesy, rudeness
a manner that is rude and insulting
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discourtesy, rudeness
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a willful disobedience to or disrespect for the authority of a court or legislative body
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types:
- show 4 types...
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contempt of Congress
deliberate obstruction of the operation of the federal legislative branch
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contempt of court
disrespect for the rules of a court of law
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civil contempt
a failure to follow a court order that benefits someone else
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criminal contempt
an act of disrespect that impedes the administration of justice
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type of:
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disobedience, noncompliance
the failure to obey
Vocabulary lists containing contempt
When eleven-year-old Tokunbo Marshall moves with her mother into a Harlem brownstone, she must adjust to an extended family that includes three new sisters who see everything in life as a possible project in their self-designed education.
Middle schooler Daniel and his campmates battle for survival on the Crazy River in Montana.
Noor and Sal — two Pakistani American teenagers living in a small town — are falling in love as they struggle with difficult family issues.
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