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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy.
  2. n. The expression of such an attitude in behavior or speech; derision.
  3. n. One spoken of or treated with contempt.
  4. v. To consider or treat as contemptible or unworthy.
  5. v. To reject or refuse with derision. See Synonyms at despise.
  6. v. To express contempt; scoff.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Mockery; derision; contempt; disdain.
  2. n. The expression of mockery, derision, contempt, or disdain; a scoff; a slight.
  3. n. An object, of derision, contempt, or disdain; a thing to be or that is treated with contempt; a reproach or disgrace.
  4. To hold in scorn or contempt; disdain; despise: as, to scorn a hypocrite; to scorn all meanness.
  5. To bring to scorn; treat with scorn or contempt; make a mock of; deride.
  6. To bring into insignificance or into contempt.
  7. Synonyms Contemn, Despise, Scorn, Disdain. Contemn, scorn, and disdain less often apply to persons. In this they differ from the corresponding nouns and from despise, which apply with equal freedom to persons and things. Contemn is the generic term, expressing the fact; it is not so strong as contempt. To despise is to look down upon with strong contempt from a superior position of some sort. To scorn is to have an extreme and passionate contempt for. To disdain is to have a high-minded abhorrence of, or a proud and haughty contempt of. See arrogance.
  8. To feel scorn or contempt.
  9. To point with scorn; scoff; jeer: generally with at.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
  2. v. To scoff, express contempt
  3. v. To reject, turn down
  4. n. Contempt or disdain towards a despicable or unworthy person
  5. n. A display of disdain; A slight.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Extreme and lofty contempt; haughty disregard; that disdain which springs from the opinion of the utter meanness and unworthiness of an object.
  2. n. An act or expression of extreme contempt.
  3. n. An object of extreme disdain, contempt, or derision.
  4. v. To hold in extreme contempt; to reject as unworthy of regard; to despise; to contemn; to disdain.
  5. v. To treat with extreme contempt; to make the object of insult; to mock; to scoff at; to deride.
  6. v. To scoff; to mock; to show contumely, derision, or reproach; to act disdainfully.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. look down on with disdain
  2. v. reject with contempt
  3. n. open disrespect for a person or thing
  4. n. lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

Etymologies

  1. Middle English, from Old French escarn, of Germanic origin.

Examples

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‘scorn’ has been looked up 2102 times, loved by 1 person, added to 38 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 7.