Contemptuous
Contemptuous adjective - Feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern.
Usage example: loutish tourists who are contemptuous of the ways and traditions of their host countries
Scornful is a synonym for contemptuous in respect topic. In some cases you can use "Scornful" instead an adjective "Contemptuous", when it comes to topics like derisive, arrogant. popular alternative
Scornful
Scornful adjective - Feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern.
Usage example: the actress gave the paparazzi a scornful glare before breezing on by them
Contemptuous is a synonym for scornful in respect topic. You can use "Contemptuous" instead an adjective "Scornful", if it concerns topics such as derisive, condescending, disdainful, given to scorning. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- disrespectful and contemptuous
- disrespectful and scornful
- insulting and contemptuous
- insulting and scornful
- sarcastic and contemptuous
- sarcastic and scornful
- derisive and contemptuous
- derisive and scornful
- insolent and contemptuous
- insolent and scornful
- haughty and contemptuous
- haughty and scornful
- snooty and contemptuous
- snooty and scornful
Both words in one sentence
- Literary convention divides satire into the Horatian (good-natured, almost affectionate, light-hearted, and more likely to view the target as foolish rather than evil) and the Juvenalian (contemptuous, abrasive, scornful, and outraged, relentlessly mocking a target often regarded as outright evil).
Source: Satire
Cite this Source
Scornful and Contemptuous. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/contemptuous/scornful
Contemptuous & Scornful. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/contemptuous/scornful>.
Scornful or Contemptuous. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/contemptuous/scornful.
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