as in contempt
open dislike for someone or something considered unworthy of one's concern or respect
a glance filled with unrestrained contemptuousness for the rest of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuousness
Noun
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For his courtroom outbursts, Davis found Thompson in contempt of court and added a little more than four and a half years to his sentence.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026 -
Never has Congress compelled the testimony of a former president under threat of contempt charges.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over time, some officers showed a boastful disdain for parts of the population they were expected to protect.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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With a firehouse of insults flowing from Washington, the value of dignity rises with people of goodwill, while attracting the disdain of a diminishing mob.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Emily Brontë’s novel is a book that stains — its emotions seep through generations, its hatreds metastasize, its love transforms into something unholy and permanent.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Talmud teaches that Jerusalem was destroyed not only because of hatred, but because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred fueled by moral absolutism.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contemptuousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuousness. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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