contemn

English

WOTD – 20 March 2007

Etymology

From Middle English contempnen, from Old French contemner, from Latin contemnere (“to scorn”). See also contempt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɛm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛm

Verb

contemn (third-person singular simple present contemns, present participle contemning, simple past and past participle contemned)

1. (transitive, archaic) To disdain; to value at little or nothing; to treat or regard with contempt.
   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, “11”, in The Moon and Sixpence:

     I was perturbed by the suspicion that the anguish of love contemned was alloyed in her broken heart with the pangs, sordid to my young mind, of wounded vanity.

2. (law) To commit an offence of contempt, such as contempt of court; to unlawfully flout (e.g. a ruling).

Synonyms

• despise, scorn
• See also Thesaurus:despise

Antonyms

• honor
• respect
• revere
• venerate

Related terms

• contemner
• contemnor
• contempt
• contemptibility
• contemptible
• contemptibly
• contemptuous

Translations

to treat or regard with contempt

• Armenian: արհամարհել (hy) (arhamarhel)
• Bulgarian: презирам (bg) (preziram), пренебрегвам (bg) (prenebregvam)
• Catalan: menyspreuar, desdenyar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鄙夷 (zh) (bǐyí), 鄙薄 (zh) (bǐbó)

• Finnish: halveksia (fi), halveksua (fi)
• German: verachten (de)

• Hebrew: בז‎ (he) (baz)
• Italian: disprezzare (it), disdegnare (it)
• Japanese: 蔑む (ja) (sagesumu), 見下す (mikudasu), 軽蔑する (ja) (keibetsu suru), 軽侮する (ja) (keibu suru)
• Maori: whakapu(w)heto, tokoreko, whakareko, whakamanioro
• Portuguese: desdenhar (pt), desprezar (pt)
• Russian: презира́ть (ru) n or impf (prezirátʹ), пренебрега́ть (ru) n or impf (prenebregátʹ), попира́ть (ru) n or impf (popirátʹ)
• Spanish: despreciar (es), menospreciar (es)
• Turkish: küçümsemek (tr), hor görmek (tr)