Meaning & use
contumely
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Meaning
noununcountableliteraryrare
Insulting or scornful language and treatment meant to make someone feel small.
Grammar: Uncountable: no plural. Stress the first syllable: CON-tu-me-ly.
Patterns
- the contumely of someone
- suffer contumely
- heap contumely on someone
The old man endured the contumely of his neighbors without complaint.
Hamlet speaks of 'the proud man's contumely' in his famous soliloquy.
She was unprepared for the contumely she faced after her public mistake.
Common combinations
- the proud man's contumely
- The phrase 'the proud man's contumely' comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
- suffer contumely
- He suffered contumely for years before his name was cleared.
- heap contumely on someone
- The press heaped contumely on the minister.
Synonyms and how they differ
- insult
- Insult is the everyday word for a rude remark; contumely is a literary, stronger term for scornful treatment.
- scorn
- Scorn is a feeling of contempt; contumely is the expression of that contempt in words or actions.
- abuse
- Abuse can mean cruel treatment of many kinds; contumely is specifically humiliating insult.
Opposites
Commonly confused: contumely or contumacy?
contumely vs contumacy
Contumacy means stubborn refusal to obey authority, especially a court; contumely means insulting treatment. They share a root but differ in meaning.
Practice
In the play, the hero complains about 'the proud man's _____'.
Choose one answer.
The phrase from Hamlet is 'the proud man's contumely' — a noun meaning insulting treatment. 'Contumacy' means stubborn disobedience, and the other two are adjective forms, which would not fit after 'man's'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contumely”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.