/ kənˈtemptʃuəs; NAmE / adjective
contemptuous (of sb/sth) feeling or showing that you have no respect for sb/sth
SYN scornful :
She gave him a contemptuous look.
He was contemptuous of everything I did.
► con·temp·tu·ous·ly adverb :
to laugh contemptuously
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in the sense despising law and order ): from medieval Latin contemptuosus , from Latin contemptus contempt, from contemnere , from con- (expressing intensive force) + temnere despise.