CONTEMPTUOUS Synonyms: 118 Similar and Opposite Words

contemptuous

adjective

kən-ˈtem(p)-chə-wəs

Definition of contemptuous

as in disdainful

feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern loutish tourists who are contemptuous of the ways and traditions of their host countries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in slighting

intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value contemptuous comments about the baseball team's pathetic showings

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 contemptuous Their response to the indignities of modernity is only contemptuous silence. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2026 Critics are sometimes contemptuous of the way superhero entertainment has been embraced by adults, who should presumably be making their way through the Booker Prize longlist. — David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Apr. 2026 Sara Hershkowitz’s wildly contemptuous Queen adds further soprano glory. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026 And Alexander Hamilton gets slightly better press than the other two, but he is shown as someone who is brilliant, but self-seeking, arrogant, snobbish, contemptuous of others, and profoundly two-faced. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contemptuous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptuous

Adjective

As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Definition of disdainful

Adjective

Even instances of heckling at games – over performance on the court – felt good-natured, rather than insulting.

— Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
The adventures of Addison’s titular shilling include being hoarded, offered as a bribe, and sent as an insulting accompaniment to a letter disinheriting a son.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of insulting

Adjective

Tribunals have been appointed, and Coriolanus’ scornful elitism strikes them as too heavy a price for his military protection.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Atletico did not believe this was a serious attempt to sign the player, and reacted with more angry and scornful social media posts.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Definition of scornful

Adjective

Each of these decisions laid the groundwork for the war on Iran today, one that started without a clear strategy on the arrogant expectation of a quick victory.

— Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
The data center industry is only one face of an arrogant oligarchy that people believe now runs Congress, the courts, the White House, state legislatures and local governments.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.

— Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026

Definition of disparaging

Adjective

The general idea predated Wilson, but his willingness to use it in service of that abhorrent compromise—subordinating the dignity and equality of individual people to the importance of the American union—showed that his commitment to popular sovereignty had its limits.

— Jesse Wegman, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks.

— Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 4 June 2026

Definition of abhorrent

Adjective

Dad is an abusive alcoholic, prone to berating and even assaulting his daughter in front of guests, of which Vangelio is currently the only one.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026
Born into a dysfunctional and abusive household in 1929, Kusama spent much of her childhood in a military factory sewing parachutes for Japan’s imperial army during World War II.

— Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of abusive

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contemptibly

contemptuous

contemptuously

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“Contemptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptuous. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of contemptuous

adjective

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