1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the contemptible thieves who stole the Christmas gifts intended for needy children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
a contemptible attempt at science fiction by someone with no understanding of the genre
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
the contemptible behavior of the students who took part in the hazing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contemptible
For a man whose alleged bone spurs kept him out of the Vietnam draft to muse about receiving an award reserved for the bravest of the brave of the American armed forces is contemptible.
—
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Your death was preventable, unjust, tragic, and contemptible; utterly contemptible.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Your death was preventable, unjust, tragic, and contemptible; utterly contemptible.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptible
Adjective
-
There’s a mentality problem — that’s highlighted by a pitiful return of just one point out of a possible 24 away from home this season against teams in the top nine.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
Will the harsh weather mean poor growth and pitiful harvests?—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Just a pathetic, sad old man who hated the world and spent his days in solitude.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The man who has been on fire since the Knicks first tipped off against the Atlanta Hawks shot a ghastly — nay, a pathetic — 53 percent from the field.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The land of the southern hemisphere pulled away from this vile impactor, restructuring itself in the northern hemisphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
-
Fleeing Salzburg and his father’s (Jonathan Aris) iron fist and emphasis on perfection, Mozart, armed with his compositions, vile language and impulsivity, is determined to take on the city.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
And getting all giddy over some lame light beer that has apple juice poured into to is just plain embarrassing.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Drain Mats Kitchen sinks may be dirty, but your drain mat is downright nasty.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
-
But facing the Jaguars after the Chiefs and before the Rams is nasty business.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The reason all of this is happening, probably more than any other, is that clipping is cheap.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
Surprisingly the most expensive hairpiece so far has been Attenborough’s, which Fortune reveals was a hybrid of a cheap £20 ($26) wig at the back combined with tens of man-hours knotting individual strands of hair onto a lace front to create the centenarian’s familiar pate.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
How To Properly Load A Dishwasher To properly load a dishwasher for maximum cleaning power, place dishes in the dishwasher with the dirty side facing the jets, with taller items around the outside.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
Use the packing cubes to separate clean and dirty clothes for the duration of your cruise.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Everything in this screen world is heightened, slightly off-kilter, but entirely plausible (with the exception being Ruby’s wretched body, still burning after all these years).—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
-
Yes, it’s mostly wretched, but once in a great while there will be a song that’s actually not autotuned.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemptible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptible. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
