What does disrespect mean?
Disrespect denotes a lack of respect, courtesy, or consideration shown toward a person, group, institution, or idea. As a noun, it names both the attitude itself ('his disrespect was obvious') and specific acts that express it ('an act of gross disrespect'). As a verb, it describes the action of treating something or someone without due regard: 'she felt disrespected by the dismissive reply.' The word carries a strongly negative connotation, implying a breach of expected social norms rather than mere disagreement — one can oppose someone's views respectfully, but disrespect suggests rudeness, contempt, or indifference to their dignity. It appears constantly in discussions of workplace behavior, sports, politics, and interpersonal relationships, where accusations of disrespect are serious social charges. Its derivatives include disrespectful, disrespectfully, and disrespected. Because it captures a universal social judgment in a single compact word, disrespect remains among the most frequently used terms in English for describing breaches of courtesy and regard.
An attitude or act showing a lack of respect, courtesy, or esteem toward someone or something.
"The player was fined for showing disrespect to the officials."
Often used in formal complaints, codes of conduct, and discussions of etiquette.
To treat someone or something without respect; to show rudeness or contempt toward.
"Don't disrespect your elders like that."
Rarely used in the plural; disrespect is almost always uncountable. The plural form appears only in unusual contexts listing multiple distinct acts of disrespect.
"The report catalogued numerous disrespects of protocol over the past year."
The word 'disrespect' didn't exist in English until the early 1600s — before then, people simply 'did not respect' each other.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disrespect
Disrespect entered English in the early 17th century, formed from the Latin-derived prefix dis- (meaning 'not' or 'the opposite of') attached to respect, which comes from the Latin respicere, meaning 'to look back at' or 'to regard.' It thus belongs to the large family of English words built on the Latin root specere, 'to look,' alongside spectacle, inspect, and spectator. Both noun and verb senses developed together, with the verb becoming increasingly common in modern informal usage.
Related word forms
How disrespect is actually used
Common in everyday speech and widely understood across registers; the verb form is more colloquial than the noun and is especially frequent in informal American English. The noun often appears in phrases about workplace conduct, sportsmanship, and social etiquette.
Easily confused with disrespect
Despite means 'in spite of' as a preposition; disrespect is a noun or verb meaning lack of respect — they share a visual similarity but nothing else.