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  1. contemn love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To view with contempt; despise. See Synonyms at despise.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To consider and treat as contemptible and despicable; despise; scorn.
  2. To slight or disregard; neglect as unworthy of regard; reject with disdain.
  3. Synonyms Disdain, Despise, etc. (see scorn); look down upon, spurn.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To disdain; to value at little or nothing; to treat or regard with contempt.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To view or treat with contempt, as mean and despicable; to reject with disdain; to despise; to scorn.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. look down on with disdain

Etymologies

  1. From Latin contemnere ("to scorn"). See also contempt. (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English contempnen, to slight, from Latin contemnere : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + temnere, to despise. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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synonyms (9)

Words with the same meaning

  1. underrate
  1. scorn
  1. overlook
  1. slight
  1. spurn
  1. disdain
  1. neglect
  1. despise
  1. abhor

hypernyms (2)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. hate
  1. detest

hyponyms (1)

Words that are more specific

  1. look down on

same context (13)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. slagging
  2. mislike
  1. snuffing
  2. office-seeking
  1. boo
  2. clean-handed
  1. scathe
  2. pinata
  1. totravel
  2. amateurishness
  1. discountenance
  2. snigger
  1. superciliousness

reverse dictionary (6)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. scorn
  1. indignify
  1. despise
  1. to set at naught
  1. disdain
  1. reprobate

tags (1)

Free-form, user-generated categorization

  1. cvccvcc

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Lists

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Comments

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  • bilby "SICINIUS: May they perceive's intent! He will require them
    As if he did contemn what he requested
    Should be in them to give."
    - William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'. Aug 28, 2009

  • milosrdenstvi I suppose condemn might have something to do with damn? Mar 20, 2009

  • rolig Strictly speaking, they mean different things, though it's true that we often condemn things we contemn. To condemn something or is to declare it bad, wicked, etc.; to contemn something is to express disdain for it, to hold it in contempt (which derives, in fact, from the past participle of the Latin verb contemnere, "to scorn", which gives us "contemn").

    But you should note that "contemn" is not often used anymore (the Oxford American Dictionary marks it as "archaic"), probably because of this very confusion with "condemn". Mar 20, 2009

  • milosrdenstvi how closely is this related to condemn? I feel as if I could almost use them interchangeably. Mar 19, 2009

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‘contemn’ has been looked up 2310 times, loved by 1 person, added to 27 lists, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.