SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
contemptible
adjective
Deserving scorn or strong disapproval.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Deserving scorn
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topContemptible describes what deserves contempt; contemptuous describes the person showing it.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See contemptible in use
The novel presents the deliberate betrayal as a contemptible act.
The mystery's flagrant abuse of a relief fund becomes clear when the treasurer openly diverts money reserved for families whose homes were destroyed. The treasurer's contemptible demand that those families thank him for his generosity adds humiliation to their losses.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license