contempt

English

Alternative forms

• cōtempt, cõtempt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin contemptus (“scorn”), from contemnō (“I scorn, despise”), from com- + temnō (“I despise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɛmpt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmpt

Noun

contempt (countable and uncountable, plural contempts)

1. (uncountable) The state or act of contemning; the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn, disdain.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 13, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them.

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 Thesaurus:contempt

Antonyms

• See Thesaurus:contempt

Derived terms

Terms derived from contempt (noun)

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

 

Related terms

• contemn
• contemptible
• contemptuous

 

Translations

a feeling or attitude

• Arabic: اِحْتِقَار m (iḥtiqār), اِزْدِرَاء m (izdirāʔ)
• Belarusian: пага́рда f (pahárda)
• Bulgarian: презре́ние (bg) n (prezrénie), пренебреже́ние (bg) n (prenebrežénie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鄙夷 (zh) (bǐyí), 鄙薄 (zh) (bǐbó), 鄙視／鄙视 (zh) (bǐshì), 鄙视 (zh) (bǐshì), 輕視／轻视 (zh) (qīngshì), 轻视 (zh) (qīngshì)

• Czech: opovržení (cs) n, despekt m, pohrdání n, přezírání n
• Danish: foragt (da) c
• Dutch: verachting (nl) f, minachting (nl) f
• Finnish: halveksinta (fi), ylenkatse
• French: mépris (fr) m
• Galician: desprezo m
• German: Verachtung (de) f
• Greek: περιφρόνηση (el) f (perifrónisi), καταφρόνηση (el) f (katafrónisi)

  Ancient: καταφρόνημα n (kataphrónēma)

• Hebrew: בוז m (buz)
• Hungarian: megvetés (hu)
• Icelandic: fyrirlitning (is) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: disprezzo (it) m
• Japanese: 軽蔑 (ja) (keibetsu), 軽侮 (ja) (keibu), 侮蔑 (ja) (bubetsu)
• Korean: 경멸 (ko) (gyeongmyeol)
• Latin: contemptus m, dēspectiō f
• Malayalam: പുച്‌ഛം (puc‌chaṁ)
• Persian: تحقیر (fa) (tahqir)
• Polish: pogarda (pl) f, lekceważenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: desprezo (pt) m, desdém (pt) m, contempto m
• Russian: презре́ние (ru) n (prezrénije), пренебреже́ние (ru) n (prenebrežénije)
• 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, förakt (sv) n, avsmak (sv) c
• Turkish: küçümsemek (tr)
• Ukrainian: прези́рство (uk) (prezýrstvo), не́хтування (néxtuvannja)
• Volapük: nestüm (vo)
• Yiddish: פֿאַראַכטונג f (farakhtung)

a state of being despised or dishonored

• Czech: opovržení (cs) n, ponížení n
• Danish: vanære c
• Finnish: kunniattomuus
• German: Schande (de) f, Blamage (de) f
• Greek: περιφρόνηση (el) f (perifrónisi)
• Hungarian: megvetettség
• Icelandic: óvirðing (is) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 軽蔑 (ja) (keibetsu)
• Maori: whakahariharitaetanga
• Polish: pogarda (pl) f, lekceważenie (pl) n
• Russian: позо́р (ru) m (pozór), бесче́стие (ru) n (besčéstije)
• Spanish: desgracia (es) f, deshonra (es) f, vergüenza (es) f
• Swedish: missaktning (sv) c

law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority

• Bulgarian: неуважение (bg) n (neuvaženie)
• Danish: foragt (da) c, foragt for retten, (disrespect of a court of law)
• Dutch: minachting (nl) f
• Finnish: (open disrespect of a court of law) oikeuden halventaminen
• French: outrage (fr) m
• German: Mißachtung (de) f, Beamtenbeleidigung (de)
• Greek: περιφρόνηση (el) f (perifrónisi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: figyelmen kívül hagyás, semmibevétel, semmibevevés
• Icelandic: óvirðing (is) f
• Persian: اهانت (fa) (ehânat), بی‌حرمتی (bihormati)
• Polish: lekceważenie (pl) n, obraza (pl) f
• Portuguese: desacato (pt) m
• Russian: неуваже́ние (ru) n (neuvažénije)
• Spanish: desacato (es) m
• Tagalog: pagsuway, paglapastangan
• Ukrainian: знева́га (zneváha)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} des-estimo
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• “contempt”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “contempt”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “contempt”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.