Basic+ Word of the Day: contempt

contempt (noun)

Contempt means ‘scorn, disregard, a lack of respect.’

• When I tried to explain why she was wrong, she gave me a look of pure contempt.
• The saleman's colleagues held him in contempt because he tried to steal their clients.
• The shopkeeper treated the teenagers with complete contempt.

Contempt is also deliberate disobedience or open disrespect of the rules of a court or a legislative body.

• The judge held the attorney in contempt of court when she repeatedly arrived late for the trial.
• The chairman of the Senate committee held the witness in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer his questions.

Don't confuse it with

content: satisfied. Example: “Jane was content to read a book by the fire while her husband skied.”

In pop culture

Here is a news story about a judge who holds himself in contempt of court when his cellphone rings.

There are other meanings of contempt.