Meaning & use
familiarity breeds contempt
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Meaning
phraseidiom
A saying meaning that knowing someone or something very well, or for a very long time, can lead you to lose respect for them.
Grammar: A complete proverb, usually used as a sentence on its own or after a comma.
Patterns
- familiarity breeds contempt
I used to admire my boss, but after five years of shared offices, familiarity breeds contempt.
They say familiarity breeds contempt, and the long road trip proved it.
Maybe familiarity breeds contempt, because the locals ignore the beautiful lake.
Common combinations
- they say familiarity breeds contempt
- They say familiarity breeds contempt, and she was starting to believe it.
- as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt
- As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt, which is why I keep some distance.
- proof that familiarity breeds contempt
- His constant complaining about his hometown was proof that familiarity breeds contempt.
- familiarity breeds contempt, but
- Familiarity breeds contempt, but sometimes it breeds affection too.
- an old case of familiarity breeding contempt
- It was an old case of familiarity breeding contempt between the two roommates.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overexposure
- Overexposure names the situation of seeing something too much, whereas the proverb explains the result, which is lost respect.
- overfamiliarity
- Overfamiliarity describes the state of knowing something too well, but unlike the proverb it does not state the consequence.
- taken for granted
- Taken for granted is a related idea about undervaluing what is always there, but it sounds less harsh than contempt.
Opposites
Word family
- familiar adjective
- well known
- familiarity noun
- close knowledge of something
- familiarize verb
- to make someone know something well
- contemptuous adjective
- showing contempt
Commonly confused: familiarity breeds contempt or contempt?
familiarity breeds contempt vs contempt
Contempt means strong disrespect and is not the same as content, which means satisfied, or contempt for the law, which is a legal term for disobeying a court.
Practice
Which situation best shows that familiarity breeds contempt?
Choose one answer.
The resident has seen the view so often that respect has turned into dislike, which is the idea of the proverb. The friends growing closer show the opposite effect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “familiarity breeds contempt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.