Word Study
contemptuous
CIDE DICTIONARY
contemptuous, a.
Manifesting or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful; haughty; insolent; disdainful. [1913 Webster]
"A proud, contemptuous behavior." [1913 Webster]
"Savage invective and contemptuous sarcasm." [1913 Webster]
"Rome . . . entertained the most contemptuous opinion of the Jews."
Syn. -- Scornful; insolent; haughty; disdainful; supercilious; insulting; contumelious.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
contemptuous, adj. (often foll. by of) showing contempt, scornful; insolent.
Derivative
contemptuously adv.
Etymology
med.L contemptuosus f. L contemptus (as contempt)
THESAURUS
contemptuous
abjuratory, abusive, arrogant, audacious, back-biting, belittling, biggety, bitchy, blackening, blameful, bluff, bold, brash, brassy, brazen, bumptious, calumniatory, calumnious, catty, cavalier, censorious, challenging, cheeky, chutzpadik, clannish, cliquish, cocky, condemnatory, contumelious, crusty, damnatory, daring, declinatory, defamatory, defiant, defying, denunciatory, deprecative, deprecatory, depreciative, depreciatory, derisive, derisory, derogative, derogatory, despising, detractory, disdainful, dismissive, disparaging, disregardful, disrespectful, exclusive, execrating, execrative, execratory, facy, flip, flippant, fresh, gally, gratuitous, greatly daring, haughty, impertinent, impudent, insolent, insulting, invective, inveighing, judgmental, libelous, malapert, minimizing, nervy, objurgatory, pejorative, pert, priggish, regardless of consequences, rejective, renunciative, reproachful, reprobative, reviling, ridiculing, rude, sassy, saucy, scandalous, scoffing, scornful, scurrile, scurrilous, slanderous, slighting, smart, smart-alecky, smart-ass, sneering, sniffy, snobbish, snobby, snooty, snotty, supercilious, toploftical, toplofty, uncalled-for, vilifying, vituperative, wise-ass, witheringROGET THESAURUS
contemptuous
Disrespect
N disrespect, disesteem, disestimation, disparagement irreverence, slight, neglect, spretae injuria formae, superciliousness, vilipendency, vilification, contumely, affront, dishonor, insult, indignity, outrage, discourtesy, practical joking, scurrility, scoffing, sibilance, hissing, sibilation, irrision, derision, mockery, irony, sarcasm, hiss, hoot, boo, gibe, flout, jeer, scoff, gleek, taunt, sneer, quip, fling, wipe, slap in the face, disrespectful, aweless, irreverent, disparaging, insulting, supercilious, contemptuous, patronizing, rude, derisive, sarcastic, scurrile, scurrilous, contumelious, unrespected, unworshiped, unenvied, unsaluted, unregarded, disregarded, disrespectfully.Contempt
N contempt, disdain, scorn, sovereign contempt, despisal, despiciency, despisement, vilipendency, contumely, slight, sneer, spurn, by-word, despect, contemptuousness, scornful eye, smile of contempt, derision, despisedness, contemptuous, disdainful, scornful, withering, contumelious, supercilious, cynical, haughty, bumptious, cavalier, derisive, contemptible, despicable, pitiable, pitiful, despised, downtrodden, unenvied, unrespectable (unworthy), contemptuously, Int, a fig for, bah!, never mind!, away with!, hang it!, fiddlededee!, a dismal universal hiss, the sound of public scorn, I had rather be a dog and bay the moon than such a.For further exploring for "contemptuous" in Webster Dictionary Online