Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy.
- noun The expression of such an attitude in behavior or speech; derision.
- noun The state of being despised or dishonored.
- noun Archaic One spoken of or treated with contempt.
- transitive verb To consider or treat as contemptible or unworthy.
- transitive verb To reject or refuse with derision: synonym: despise.
- transitive verb To consider or reject (doing something) as beneath one's dignity.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Mockery; derision; contempt; disdain.
- noun The expression of mockery, derision, contempt, or disdain; a scoff; a slight.
- noun An object, of derision, contempt, or disdain; a thing to be or that is treated with contempt; a reproach or disgrace.
- To hold in scorn or contempt; disdain; despise: as, to
scorn a hypocrite; to scorn all meanness. - To bring to scorn; treat with scorn or contempt; make a mock of; deride.
- To bring into insignificance or into contempt.
- Synonyms Contemn, Despise, Scorn, Disdain. Contemn, scorn, and disdain less often apply to persons. In this they differ from the corresponding nouns and from
despise , which apply with equal freedom to persons and things. Contemn is the generic term, expressing the fact; it is not so strong as contempt. To despise is to look down upon with strong contempt from a superior position of some sort. To scorn is to have an extreme and passionate contempt for. To disdain is to have a high-minded abhorrence of, or a proud and haughty contempt of. Seearrogance . - To feel scorn or contempt.
- To point with scorn; scoff; jeer: generally with at.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To scoff; to mock; to show contumely, derision, or reproach; to act disdainfully.
- noun Extreme and lofty contempt; haughty disregard; that disdain which springs from the opinion of the utter meanness and unworthiness of an object.
- noun An act or expression of extreme contempt.
- noun An object of extreme disdain, contempt, or derision.
- noun to regard as worthy of scorn or contempt; to disdain.
- noun to deride; to make a mock of; to ridicule as contemptible.
- transitive verb To hold in extreme contempt; to reject as unworthy of regard; to despise; to contemn; to disdain.
- transitive verb To treat with extreme contempt; to make the object of insult; to mock; to scoff at; to deride.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To feel or display
contempt ordisdain for something or somebody; todespise . - verb intransitive To
scoff , expresscontempt - verb transitive To
reject ,turn down - noun uncountable
Contempt ordisdain . - noun countable A display of disdain; A
slight .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb look down on with disdain
- verb reject with contempt
- noun open disrespect for a person or thing
- noun lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In spite of what he called his scorn of vulgar prejudices, he felt a thrill of strange emotion as he looked on these once familiar objects.
File No. 113 ��mile Gaboriau 1852
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Not quite six feet tall, he had probably been handsome until something ugly inside reached maximum levels and seeped out, eroding him until only an expression of scorn remained.
Arcane Circle Linda Robertson 2011
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Sometimes scorn, and the expression of scorn, is warranted.
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Not quite six feet tall, he had probably been handsome until something ugly inside reached maximum levels and seeped out, eroding him until only an expression of scorn remained.
Arcane Circle Linda Robertson 2011
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That will earn you a rebuke from Sarcastro, whose scorn is rightly to be laughed at feared.
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That effeminate creature in the 7-11 you scorn is suffering the consequences of other mens sins, you only lower yourself if you abuse that person because of your own false perceptions.
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Grayson is a freshman congressman who has drawn scorn from the GOP and has quickly built a nationwide following of progressives.
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Desiderius: My scorn is for policies that are demonstrably illiberal, whatever their proponents tout them tobe.
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That effeminate creature in the 7-11 you scorn is suffering the consequences of other mens sins, you only lower yourself if you abuse that person because of your own false perceptions.
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My scorn is for policies that are demonstrably illiberal, whatever their proponents tout them to be.
lea commented on the word scorn
O God of earth and altar
Bow down and hear our cry
Our earthly rulers falter
Our people drift and die
The walls of gold entombe us
The swords of scorn divide
Take not thy thunder from us
But take away our pride.
G.K. Chesterton
March 19, 2008