Contemptible
adjective
Definition
1. (adjective) Deserving complete disrespect and disgust — so morally low or dishonest that it provokes scorn.
Context Alive
You read an article about a landlord who evicted an elderly couple during winter so he could renovate the flat and charge double the rent. The comments section is full of people calling his behaviour contemptible. You close the article feeling angry on behalf of two people you've never met.
Meanings
1 meanings 1 Deserving Scorn and Disgust (Adjective) Common ▼
This meaning is about something or someone so morally wrong, dishonest, or cowardly that they deserve to be looked down on with complete disrespect. Imagine a politician who publicly promised to protect workers' pensions and then quietly voted to cut them — people would call that contemptible because the gap between the promise and the action is disgusting. This is describing behaviour, actions, or people that fall far below the standard of basic decency. You might say "what he did was absolutely contemptible" when someone's actions shock you with how low they were, or someone could write "the company's treatment of its workers was contemptible" to describe exploitation that crosses a moral line. Or think about a person who steals from a charity set up to help sick children — most people would agree that's contemptible. The word is strong — it doesn't just mean bad, it means deserving of contempt.
✏️ Don't confuse contemptible with contemptuous — they point in opposite directions. Contemptible = deserving contempt ("his behaviour was contemptible"). Contemptuous = showing contempt ("she gave him a contemptuous look"). One receives the scorn, the other dishes it out. The noun is contempt: "I hold him in contempt" means I have zero respect for him. In law, contempt of court means showing disrespect to a judge or court — a serious offence.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
contemptible + noun (behaviour / act / person) → describing something or someone that deserves total scorn
It was a contemptible act of betrayal that nobody saw coming.
absolutely / utterly / truly contemptible → intensifiers used to strengthen the moral judgment
The way they treated the refugees was utterly contemptible.
find something contemptible → to judge something as deserving of disgust and disrespect
Most people would find that kind of dishonesty contemptible.
Common Structures
contemptible + that clause → used to express outrage about a specific action or fact
It is contemptible that they knew about the danger and said nothing.
nothing short of contemptible → a strong way of saying something is completely deserving of scorn
His response to the allegations was nothing short of contemptible.
hold someone in contempt → to feel deep disrespect for a person (using the noun form)
After what he did, she held him in complete contempt.
Collocations
10 collocationscontemptible behaviour
actions so morally wrong they deserve complete disrespect
contemptible act
a specific deed that is disgraceful and deserving of scorn
utterly contemptible
absolutely and completely deserving of disgust
morally contemptible
ethically repulsive — violating basic standards of decency
contemptible cowardice
cowardly behaviour so extreme it provokes scorn
find contemptible
to judge something as worthy of disgust
contempt for
deep disrespect or scorn directed at someone or something (noun form)
hold in contempt
to feel total disrespect for a person
treat with contempt
to show complete disrespect through actions or words
contempt of court
the legal offence of disrespecting a judge or court proceedings
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
What he did to his own family was absolutely contemptible.
The way he treated his own family was completely disgraceful and beyond excuse.
2
The company's decision to cover up the safety report was contemptible.
Hiding the safety findings was a morally disgusting move by the company.
3
It is contemptible that they profited from a disaster while people were still suffering.
Making money from a crisis while victims were still in pain is absolutely despicable.
4
She described the politician's broken promises as utterly contemptible.
She called the politician's failure to keep his word completely disgraceful.
5
Stealing from a children's hospital is one of the most contemptible things a person can do.
Taking from a hospital that treats sick children is about as low as human behaviour gets.
6
He held his former business partner in complete contempt after the fraud was discovered.
Once the fraud came to light, he had zero respect left for the man he used to work with.
7
The judge warned the witness that lying under oath would be treated as contempt of court.
The judge made it clear that giving false testimony would be considered a serious legal offence.
8
His contemptuous tone made it obvious he had no respect for anyone in the room.
The way he spoke made it clear he looked down on every person present.
9
The documentary exposed the contemptible conditions in which factory workers were forced to live.
The film revealed the disgraceful living conditions imposed on factory employees.
10
Blaming the victims instead of the system is a contemptible response to the crisis.
Pointing the finger at the people who suffered rather than the broken system is a morally disgusting reaction.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsdespicable
very close in meaning and strength — both describe something deserving complete moral disgust
vile
stronger and more emotional — suggests physical revulsion alongside moral judgment
deplorable
slightly more formal — often used for conditions or situations rather than people
Antonymsadmirable
deserving respect and approval — the direct moral opposite
honourable
acting with integrity and moral principle
commendable
deserving praise — behaviour that impresses rather than disgusts