Standard Lemma guide

contempt

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈtɛmpt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛmpt
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N T EH1 M P T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state or act of contemning; the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn, disdain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Ellipsis of contempt factor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: board-games, chess, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a willful disobedience to or disrespect for the authority of a court or legislative body

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disobedience, noncompliance

Narrower terms: contempt of Congress, contempt of court

6

noun

Meaning 6

a manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disrespect

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discourtesy, rudeness

7

noun

Meaning 7

open disrespect for a person or thing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scorn

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disrespect, discourtesy

Narrower terms: fleer, sneer, leer

8

noun

Meaning 8

lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was held in contempt
  • the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disdain, scorn, despite

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dislike

History

Etymology

From Latin contemptus (“scorn”), from contemnō (“to scorn, despise”), from com- + temnō (“to despise”). Displaced native Old English forsewennes.

Across languages

Translations

123 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِحْتِقَار (iḥtiqār) — a feeling or attitude
  • Arabic: اِزْدِرَاء (izdirāʔ) — a feeling or attitude
  • Belarusian: пага́рда (pahárda) — a feeling or attitude
  • Bulgarian: презре́ние (prezrénie) — a feeling or attitude
  • Bulgarian: пренебреже́ние (prenebrežénie) — a feeling or attitude
  • Catalan: menyspreu — a feeling or attitude
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鄙夷 (bǐyí) — a feeling or attitude
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鄙薄 (bǐbó) — a feeling or attitude
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鄙視 /鄙视 (bǐshì) — a feeling or attitude
  • Chinese Mandarin: 輕視 /轻视 (qīngshì) — a feeling or attitude
  • Czech: opovržení — a feeling or attitude
  • Czech: despekt — a feeling or attitude
  • Czech: pohrdání — a feeling or attitude
  • Czech: přezírání — a feeling or attitude
  • Danish: foragt — a feeling or attitude
  • Dutch: verachting — a feeling or attitude
  • Dutch: minachting — a feeling or attitude
  • Finnish: halveksunta — a feeling or attitude
  • Finnish: halveksinta — a feeling or attitude
  • Finnish: ylenkatse — a feeling or attitude
  • French: mépris — a feeling or attitude
  • French: contemnement — a feeling or attitude
  • French: contemption — a feeling or attitude
  • Middle French: contemnement — a feeling or attitude
  • Middle French: contemption — a feeling or attitude
  • Galician: desprezo — a feeling or attitude
  • German: Verachtung — a feeling or attitude
  • Greek: περιφρόνηση (perifrónisi) — a feeling or attitude
  • Greek: καταφρόνηση (katafrónisi) — a feeling or attitude
  • Ancient Greek: καταφρόνημα (kataphrónēma) — a feeling or attitude
  • Ancient Greek: ὑπεροψίᾱ (huperopsíā) — a feeling or attitude
  • Hebrew: בּוּז (buz) — a feeling or attitude
  • Hindi: अवमानना (avmānnā) — a feeling or attitude
  • Hungarian: megvetés — a feeling or attitude
  • Icelandic: fyrirlitning — a feeling or attitude
  • Irish: dímheas — a feeling or attitude
  • Irish: tarcaisne — a feeling or attitude
  • Italian: disprezzo — a feeling or attitude
  • Japanese: 軽蔑 (keibetsu) — a feeling or attitude
  • Japanese: 軽侮 (keibu) — a feeling or attitude
  • Japanese: 侮蔑 (bubetsu) — a feeling or attitude
  • Korean: 경멸 (gyeongmyeol) — a feeling or attitude
  • Latin: contemptus — a feeling or attitude
  • Latin: dēspectiō — a feeling or attitude
  • Latin: fāstus — a feeling or attitude
  • Macedonian: презир (prezir) — a feeling or attitude
  • Malayalam: പുച്ഛം (pucchaṁ) — a feeling or attitude
  • Old English: forsewennes — a feeling or attitude
  • Persian: تحقیر (tahqir) — a feeling or attitude
  • Plautdietsch: Ve'achtunk — a feeling or attitude
  • Polish: pogarda — a feeling or attitude
  • Polish: lekceważenie — a feeling or attitude
  • Portuguese: desprezo — a feeling or attitude
  • Portuguese: desdém — a feeling or attitude
  • Portuguese: contempto — a feeling or attitude
  • Romanian: dispreț — a feeling or attitude
  • Russian: презре́ние (prezrénije) — a feeling or attitude
  • Russian: пренебреже́ние (prenebrežénije) — a feeling or attitude
  • Serbo-Croatian: nadmenost — a feeling or attitude
  • Serbo-Croatian: nadutost — a feeling or attitude
  • Serbo-Croatian: prezrivost — a feeling or attitude
  • Serbo-Croatian: prezir — a feeling or attitude
  • Spanish: desprecio — a feeling or attitude
  • Spanish: desdén — a feeling or attitude
  • Swedish: missnöje — a feeling or attitude
  • Swedish: misshag — a feeling or attitude
  • Swedish: förakt — a feeling or attitude
  • Swedish: avsmak — a feeling or attitude
  • Turkish: küçümsemek — a feeling or attitude
  • Ukrainian: прези́рство (prezýrstvo) — a feeling or attitude
  • Ukrainian: не́хтування (néxtuvannja) — a feeling or attitude
  • Volapük: nestüm — a feeling or attitude
  • Yiddish: פֿאַראַכטונג (farakhtung) — a feeling or attitude
  • Czech: opovržení — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Czech: ponížení — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Danish: vanære — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Finnish: kunniattomuus — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • German: Schande — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • German: Blamage — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Greek: περιφρόνηση (perifrónisi) — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Hungarian: megvetettség — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Icelandic: óvirðing — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Japanese: 軽蔑 (keibetsu) — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Māori: whakahariharitaetanga — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Māori: whakapu(w)hetotanga — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Māori: tokorekotanga — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Polish: pogarda — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Polish: lekceważenie — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Russian: позо́р (pozór) — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Russian: бесче́стие (besčéstije) — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Spanish: desgracia — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Spanish: deshonra — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Spanish: vergüenza — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Swedish: missaktning — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Turkish: hor görülmek — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Ottoman Turkish: رذالت (rezâlet) — a state of being despised or dishonored
  • Bulgarian: неуважение (neuvaženie) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Danish: foragt — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Danish: foragt for retten — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Dutch: minachting — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Esperanto: kontumaco — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Finnish: oikeuden halventaminen — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • French: outrage — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • German: Mißachtung — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • German: Beamtenbeleidigung — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Greek: περιφρόνηση (perifrónisi) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Hindi: अवमानना (avmānnā) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Hungarian: figyelmen kívül hagyás — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Hungarian: semmibevétel — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Hungarian: semmibevevés — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Icelandic: óvirðing — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Māori: takahi ture — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Persian: اهانت (ehânat) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Persian: بیحرمتی (bi-hormati) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Polish: lekceważenie — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Polish: obraza — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Portuguese: desacato — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Russian: неуваже́ние (neuvažénije) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Spanish: desacato — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Tagalog: pagsuway — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Tagalog: paglapastangan — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Tagalog: desakato — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority
  • Ukrainian: знева́га (zneváha) — law: open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority