English Dictionary: contemptuous | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for contemptuous | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Contemptuous \Con*temp"tu*ous\ (?; 135), a. Manifesting or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful; haughty; insolent; disdainful. A proud, contemptuous behavior. --Hammond. Savage invective and contemptuous sarcasm. --Macaulay. Rome . . . entertained the most contemptuous opinion of the Jews. --Atterbury. Syn: Scornful; insolent; haughty; disdainful; supercilious; insulting; contumelious. Usage: {Contemptuous}, {Contemptible}. These words, from their similarity of sound, are sometimes erroneously interchanged, as when a person speaks of having [bd]a very contemptible opinion of another.[b8] Contemptible is applied to that which is the object of contempt; as, contemptible conduct; acontemptible fellow. Contemptuous is applied to that which indicates contempt; as, a contemptuous look; a contemptuous remark; contemptuous treatment. A person, or whatever is personal, as an action, an expression, a feeling, an opinion, may be either contemptuous or contemptible; a thing may be contemptible, but can not be contemptuous. |