🇬🇧 Contemptuous meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

Contemptuous means acting like you are much better than someone or something, and showing it in your face, voice, or actions. When a person is contemptuous, they look down on others, roll their eyes, or talk in a rude way, as if the other person is silly, unimportant, or not worth listening to at all. It’s a strong kind of disrespect, not just being a little annoyed.

The owl looked contemptuous as it watched me trip over absolutely nothing for the third time in a row.

My cat sat on my homework with a contemptuous flick of her tail, clearly declaring, “Your grades are beneath me.”

Our drama teacher gave a contemptuous gasp when I called Shakespeare “that old script guy.”

When Dad tried to use teen slang, my older sister’s contemptuous silence was louder than a rock concert.

People can actually hear contempt in someone’s voice—scientists say a contemptuous tone often sounds sarcastic, sneering, or like an eye-roll you can hear.

At the café, a young man offered a cookie. The woman gave a contemptuous look, gave a contemptuous sniff, and pushed it away. He gave a contemptuous laugh, flicked crumbs, then a contemptuous remark. A dog stole the cookie; he made one last contemptuous face. She watched him, folded her hands, and walked out with a small, steady smile.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

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