contemn

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

From Middle English contempnen, from Old French contemner, from Latin contemnō (“to scorn”). See also contempt.

B----, I hear, contemns it too. — My Recollections of Lord Byron, Teresa, contessa di Guiccioli
They contemned the "feminine" arts of cajolery. — The Real Adventure, Henry Kitchell Webster
In contemning himself he was commending himself. — What Will People Say? A Novel, Rupert Hughes

despise, scorn, disdain

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