Meaning & use
contempt
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Meanings
noununcountable
a strong feeling that someone or something is worthless and deserves no respect
Grammar: Uncountable: you feel contempt, not 'a contempt' (except in the legal sense).
Patterns
- contempt for someone
- feel contempt
- show contempt
- hold someone in contempt
She looked at the cheating politician with utter contempt.
His contempt for the rules was obvious to everyone.
The workers felt nothing but contempt for a boss who never listened.
noununcountablelegal
the legal offense of disobeying a court or showing disrespect for its authority
Grammar: In this sense it is often used in fixed phrases like 'contempt of court'.
Patterns
- contempt of court
- be in contempt
- charge someone with contempt
The witness was found in contempt of court for refusing to answer.
The judge held the company in contempt for ignoring the order.
He faced a charge of contempt after shouting at the judge.
Common combinations
- contempt of court
- Contempt of court can lead to a fine or even jail.
- hold someone in contempt
- She held the dishonest salesman in contempt.
- utter contempt
- He spoke with utter contempt about their efforts.
- beneath contempt
- Such petty lies are beneath contempt.
- familiarity breeds contempt
- Seeing the star every day, the crew found that familiarity breeds contempt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scorn
- Scorn is a more active, open expression of contempt; you can pour scorn on someone, while contempt can be a silent feeling.
- disdain
- Disdain suggests a proud belief that someone is unworthy of your attention; contempt is stronger and more hostile.
- disrespect
- Disrespect is milder and more general; contempt implies a deep belief that someone has no value at all.
Opposites
Word family
- contemptuous adjective
- Showing contempt; a contemptuous look or remark.
- contemptuously adverb
- In a way that shows contempt; she laughed contemptuously.
- contemptible adjective
- Deserving contempt; a contemptible act.
Commonly confused: contempt or contemptible? contempt or content?
contempt vs contemptible
Contempt is the feeling; contemptible describes someone or something that deserves that feeling.
contempt vs content
Content means satisfied or the material inside something; it sounds similar but is unrelated.
Practice
The judge warned the reporter that she could be found in ______ of court if she refused to reveal her source.
Choose one answer.
The fixed legal phrase is 'in contempt of court,' which needs the noun. 'Contemptible' is an adjective, 'contemptuous' is an adjective, and 'contemptuously' is an adverb, so none can follow 'in ... of court.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contempt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.