contemptuous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His two main characters, infantrymen named Willie and Joe, were bedraggled, unshaven, dirty, tired to the bone, contemptuous of authority—in other words, mirror images of many of the real soldiers fighting that war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Before long, the band was playing in New York, rubbing shoulders with Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Blondie at CBGBs and shaking punks out of their contemptuous indifference.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Ukrainian analysts said the government in Kyiv deemed the decision "contemptuous".

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

She's contemptuous of people who actually know what they're talking about, especially if those facts-laden human beings are fellow women.

From Salon • May 23, 2025

“The epithet may have been totally derisive and contemptuous, or derisive and affectionate at the same time,” writes Cole.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith