noun
verb
Related Words
See contempt.
Other Word Forms
- self-disdain noun
- undisdaining adjective
Etymology
Origin of disdain
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English disdainen, from Anglo-French de(s)deigner, equivalent to dis- 1 + deign; noun derivative of the verb
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.
O’Hara’s disdain for that character is only outdone by her affection for Moira Rose, of whom one can say the same.
From Salon
To the disdain of purists, so much of the Super Bowl coverage is about anything but the football.
From Barron's
What do you get the woman who has everything — if “everything” constitutes a collection of ghastly hats, a Grinchian disdain for Christmas and a giant golden cage from which she manages the occasional stiff smile?
From Salon
O’Hara created a perfectly hilarious monster in Moira, from her absurdly over-the-top wardrobe and wigs to her open disdain for their new life.
From Los Angeles Times
I grew up calling it elaichi with such disdain that those unfamiliar with its English translation would’ve thought it was something utterly derogatory.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
