Used in a Sentence

contemn

How to use contemn in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for contemn.

Editorial note

Yet in those huge structures and pyramidal immensities, of the builders whereof so little is known, they seemed not so much to raise sepulchres or temples to death, as to contemn and disdain it, astonishing heaven with their audacities, and looking forward with delight to their interment in those eternal piles. Of their living habitations they made little account, conceiving of them but as hospitia, or inns, while they adorned the sepulchres of the dead, and planted them on lasting bases, defying the crumbling touches of time and the misty vaporousness of oblivion.

Examples1
Definitions1
Parts of speech1

Quick take

look down on with disdain; "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately"

Meaning at a glance

The clearest senses and uses of contemn gathered in one view.

verb

look down on with disdain; "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately"

Definitions

Core meanings and parts of speech for contemn.

verb

look down on with disdain; "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately"

Example sentences

1

Yet in those huge structures and pyramidal immensities, of the builders whereof so little is known, they seemed not so much to raise sepulchres or temples to death, as to contemn and disdain it, astonishing heaven with their audacities, and looking forward with delight to their interment in those eternal piles. Of their living habitations they made little account, conceiving of them but as hospitia, or inns, while they adorned the sepulchres of the dead, and planted them on lasting bases, defying the crumbling touches of time and the misty vaporousness of oblivion.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.

How do you use contemn in a sentence?

Yet in those huge structures and pyramidal immensities, of the builders whereof so little is known, they seemed not so much to raise sepulchres or temples to death, as to contemn and disdain it, astonishing heaven with their audacities, and looking forward with delight to their interment in those eternal piles. Of their living habitations they made little account, conceiving of them but as hospitia, or inns, while they adorned the sepulchres of the dead, and planted them on lasting bases, defying the crumbling touches of time and the misty vaporousness of oblivion.

What does contemn mean?

look down on with disdain; "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately"

What part of speech is contemn?

contemn is commonly used as verb.