What does contemptible mean?
Contemptible is an adjective describing a person, action, or quality so base, mean, or disgraceful that it deserves contempt — the strongest form of scorn. To label something contemptible is not merely to disapprove of it but to declare it beneath serious regard, unworthy even of anger. The word carries heavy moral weight: cheating a charity, betraying a friend for profit, or mocking the vulnerable might all be called contemptible conduct. It appears in formal writing, journalism, and everyday speech wherever firm condemnation is intended, though its intensity makes it rare in neutral description. Related forms include the adverb contemptibly (in a contemptible manner) and the noun contemptibility (the state or quality of being contemptible). Distinguish it from contemptuous, which describes the person doing the scorning rather than the one being scorned. Rooted in the Latin contemnere, 'to despise', the word has carried this sense since entering English in the late Middle Ages, remaining a precise and forceful instrument of moral judgment.
adjectiveDeserving of contempt or scorn; so mean, shameful, or worthless as to merit strong disdain.
- Deserving of contempt; worthy of scorn or disdain because of meanness, baseness, or shamefulness.
"His contemptible treatment of the waiters revealed his true character."
"The con artist's contemptible scheme targeted elderly pensioners."
"She found it contemptible that he would lie to his own family for money."
If you call someone contemptible, you're saying they're not just bad — they're beneath your contempt, which may be the harshest verdict English can deliver.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of contemptible
Contemptible derives from the Latin verb contemnere, meaning 'to despise or treat with scorn', via the Late Latin adjective contemptibilis. It entered English in the late medieval period, initially also carrying an older sense of 'liable to be slighted'. It shares its root with contempt and contemptuous, all ultimately traceable to the same Latin stem, and is related in sense to despicable, from a parallel Latin source.
Related word forms
How contemptible is actually used
A strongly negative, evaluative term used in formal and informal contexts alike; it expresses moral condemnation rather than mere dislike. It typically applies to behaviour or people rather than objects.
Easily confused with contemptible
'Contemptible' describes something that deserves contempt, while 'contemptuous' describes someone who feels or shows contempt.