- the feeling that somebody/something is without value and deserves no respect at all
- with contempt She looked at him with contempt.
- I shall treat that suggestion with the contempt it deserves.
- beneath contempt His treatment of his children is beneath contempt (= so bad that it is not even worth feeling contempt for).
- in contempt Politicians seem to be generally held in contempt by ordinary people.
- contempt for somebody/something They had shown a contempt for the values she thought important.
- His remarks betray a staggering contempt for the truth (= are completely false).
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsc1- He has a deep contempt for racists.
- His remarks betray an utter contempt for the truth.
- She looked at him with barely disguised contempt.
- He did not want to risk the contempt of his fellows.
- I felt nothing but contempt for her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- deep
- great
- …
- feel
- have
- hold somebody/something in
- …
- contempt for
- beneath contempt
- with contempt
- …
- contempt for something a lack of worry or fear about rules, danger, etc.
- The firefighters showed a contempt for their own safety.
- She'd developed what she considered a healthy contempt for authority.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- deep
- great
- …
- feel
- have
- hold somebody/something in
- …
- contempt for
- beneath contempt
- with contempt
- …
- (also contempt of court)the crime of refusing to obey an order made by a court; not showing respect for a court or judge
- He could be jailed for two years for contempt.
- in contempt She was held in contempt for refusing to testify.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- civil
- criminal
- be held in
- in contempt
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin contemptus, from contemnere, from con- (expressing intensive force) + temnere ‘despise’.
Idioms
See contempt in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee contempt in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishfamiliarity breeds contempt
- (saying) knowing somebody/something very well may cause you to lose respect for them/it
Check pronunciation:
contempt