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contemptuously

/kənˈtɛmpʧwəsli/
IPA guide

If you think something or someone is worthless, and show it, you behave contemptuously: you're being disrespectful and mean.

The word is all about showing your dislike and disrespect. We may dislike a great many things, but we are not treating them contemptuously until everyone else around us knows exactly how we feel. Acting contemptuously is putting on a little show, almost like a toddler's temper tantrum, though with more thought behind it. A student who treats his teacher contemptuously is going to be in trouble, and an employee who treats his boss contemptuously might get fired. Contemptuously is the opposite of respectfully.

Definitions of contemptuously
  1. adverb
    without respect; in a disdainful manner
    “she spoke of him contemptuously
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