contempt

contempt
noun
1 lack of respect
ADJECTIVE
complete, deep, great, open, outright, pure, utter, withering
cold, icy
healthy (esp. BrE)

She'd developed what she considered a healthy contempt for authority.

barely disguised (esp. BrE), thinly disguised
VERB + CONTEMPT
feel, have, hold sb/sth in

He felt nothing but contempt for them.

Politicians seem to be generally held in contempt by the police.

betray, demonstrate, display, express, show

His remarks betray an utter contempt for the truth (= are completely false).

conceal, hide
regard sb/sth with, treat sb/sth with
deserve, earn

I shall treat that suggestion with the contempt it deserves.

PREPOSITION
contempt for

He has a deep contempt for racists.

beneath contempt

His treatment of his children is beneath contempt (= so bad it is not even worth feeling contempt for).

with contempt

She looked at him with barely disguised contempt.

2 (also contempt of court) refusal to obey a court
ADJECTIVE
civil, criminal
VERB + CONTEMPT
be held in

She was held in contempt for refusing to testify.

PREPOSITION
in contempt

Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • contempt — con·tempt /kən tempt/ n 1: willful disobedience or open disrespect of the orders, authority, or dignity of a court or judge acting in a judicial capacity by disruptive language or conduct or by failure to obey the court s orders; also: the… …   Law dictionary

  • Contempt — Con*tempt (k[o^]n*t[e^]mt ; 215), n. [L. contemptus, fr. contemnere: cf. OF. contempt. See {Contemn}.] 1. The act of contemning or despising; the feeling with which one regards that which is esteemed mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • contempt — ► NOUN 1) the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration. 2) (also contempt of court) the offence of being disobedient to or disrespectful of a court of law. ● beneath contempt Cf. ↑beneath contempt ● hold in contempt… …   English terms dictionary

  • contempt — late 14c., from L. contemptus scorn, from pp. of contemnere to scorn, despise, from com , intensive prefix (see COM (Cf. com )), + *temnere to slight, scorn, of uncertain origin. Phrase contempt of court is attested from 19c., though the idea is… …   Etymology dictionary

  • contempt — [n1] disdain, disrespect antipathy, audacity, aversion, condescension, contumely, defiance, derision, despisal, despisement, despite, disesteem, disregard, distaste, hatred, indignity, malice, mockery, neglect, recalcitrance, repugnance, ridicule …   New thesaurus

  • contempt — [kən tempt′] n. [OFr < L contemptus, scorn, pp. of contemnere: see CONTEMN] 1. the feeling or attitude of one who looks down on somebody or something as being low, mean, or unworthy; scorn 2. the condition of being despised or scorned 3. the… …   English World dictionary

  • contempt — despite, disdain, scorn (see under DESPISE vb) Analogous words: abhorrence, detestation, loathing, hatred, hate (see under HATE vb): aversion, *antipathy: repugnance, distaste (see corresponding adjectives at REPUGNANT) Antonyms: respect… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • contempt — et mespris de justice, Iurisdictionis contemptus et legum ludibrium, B …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Contempt — Disdain redirects here. For other uses, see Disdain (disambiguation). For the legal term, see Contempt of court. For other uses of Contempt, see Contempt (disambiguation). Contempt is an intensely negative emotion regarding a person or group of… …   Wikipedia

  • contempt — /keuhn tempt /, n. 1. the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn. 2. the state of being despised; dishonor; disgrace. 3. Law. a. willful disobedience to or open disrespect for the rules or …   Universalium

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