What does contemn mean?
"Contemn" is a formal English verb meaning to treat someone or something with contempt or scorn — to regard it as unworthy of respect, attention, or consideration. A person might contemn flattery, hypocrisy, or the opinions of those they consider foolish, signalling not mere disagreement but active disdain. The word comes from the Latin "contemnere", formed from "con-" and "temnere", meaning to slight or despise, and it is closely related to the far more familiar nouns and adjectives "contempt," "contemptible," and "contemptuous." Today, "contemn" survives chiefly in elevated literary prose and in legal language, where phrases like "contemning the court's authority" echo the doctrine of being held "in contempt." Because it sounds archaic and carries a weighty, disapproving tone, writers often reach for it deliberately to convey cold, dignified disdain rather than hot anger. For everyday speech, "despise" or "scorn" serves the same purpose more naturally.
verbTo treat with contempt or scorn; to despise or look down upon someone or something as unworthy of consideration or respect.
- To treat with scorn or contempt; to view as beneath one's respect or notice.
- (Law) To disregard wilfully or show disrespect toward a court or its authority, as in contemning an order.
"The old scholar openly contemned fashionable theories that prized novelty over rigour."
"She contemned the petty rivalries of office politics, refusing to engage in them."
"The defendant was found to have contemned the court's injunction by continuing the disputed works."
If you've ever been held 'in contempt of court,' you've brushed against this word's Latin cousin — but "contemn" itself is so formal it mostly survives today in legal documents and very elevated prose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of contemn
"Contemn" derives from the Latin "contemnere", composed of the prefix "con-" and "temnere", meaning to despise or slight. It entered English in the late Middle Ages through Old French and Latin legal and literary usage. The same Latin root gives us "contempt," "contemptible," and "contemptuous," which have flourished while the verb itself became increasingly rare.
Related word forms
How contemn is actually used
"Contemn" is highly formal and literary, now rare outside legal writing; in everyday contexts "despise" or "scorn" is preferred. Its derivatives "contempt," "contemptible," and "contemptuous" remain far more common than the verb itself.
Easily confused with contemn
"Condemn" means to express strong disapproval or pronounce judgment against something, while "contemn" means to regard it with scorn or contempt — one is about censure, the other about disdain.