Meanings
- uncountableA feeling of contempt or scorn.
The cat viewed the cheap supermarket catfood with disdain and stalked away.
3 more examples
He that with ſhepheards and a litle ſpoyle, Durſt in diſdaine of wrong and tyrannie, Defend his freedome gainſt a Monarchie: What will he doe ſupported by a king?
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iDisdain and scorn ride sparkling in her eyes.
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]Everything that could go right for England did although they never felt lucky and they chuckled at Kane’s third that ricocheted off his heel while he was looking the other way. Somewhere in the Moscow outskirts one could only guess at the grand disdain Cristiano Ronaldo will have felt at being supplanted as the tournament’s top scorer in that manner.
2018 June 24, Sam Wallace, “Harry Kane scores hat-trick as England hit Panama for six to secure World Cup knock-out qualification”, in Telegraph (UK), retrieved 24 Jun 2018 - obsoleteuncountableThe state of being despised; shame.
The leaves and fruit maintain'd with beauty's sun ; Exempt from envy , but not from disdain
c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]
present singular third person disdains · participle present disdaining · participle past disdained · past disdained
- transitiveTo regard (someone or something) with strong contempt.
When the Philistine […] saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 17:422 more examples
The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, is but the apostle of God and His Word, […] The Messiah doth surely not disdain to be a servant of God, nor do the angels who are nigh to Him; and whosoever disdains His service and is too proud, He will gather them altogether to Himself. But as for those who believe and do what is right, He will pay their hire and will give increase to them of His grace. But as for those who disdain and are too proud, He will punish them with a grievous woe, and they shall not find for them other than God a patron or a help.
1880, “Women”, in Edward Henry Palmer, transl., The Qur'an, verse 170The country’s first black president, and its first president to reach adulthood after the Vietnam War and Watergate, Mr. Obama seemed like a digital-age leader who could at last dislodge the stalemate between those who clung to the government of the Great Society, on the one hand, and those who disdained the very idea of government, on the other.
2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times - intransitiveobsoleteTo be indignant or offended.
When the chefe prestes and scribes sawe, the marveylles that he dyd [...], they desdayned, and sayde unto hym: hearest thou what these saye?
1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
nouna communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient
verbreject with contempt
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchdesdeignier
- Middle Englishdisdeynen
- Englishdisdain
From Middle English disdeynen, from Old French desdeignier (modern French dédaigner).
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὑπεροψίᾱ
- ὑπεροψίᾱ (huperopsíā)feeling of contempt or scorn
Arabic اِزْدِرَاء
- اِزْدِرَاء (izdirāʔ)feeling of contempt or scorn
Bulgarian презрение, пренебрежение
- презрение (prezrenie)feeling of contempt or scorn
- пренебрежение (prenebreženie)feeling of contempt or scorn
- презирам (preziram)to regard with strong contempt
Chinese Mandarin 鄙棄 /鄙弃, 不屑
- 鄙棄 /鄙弃 (bǐqì)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 不屑 (bùxiè)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 蔑視 /蔑视 (mièshì)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 鄙棄 /鄙弃 (bǐqì)to regard with strong contempt
- 不屑 (bùxiè)to regard with strong contempt
- 蔑視 /蔑视 (mièshì)to regard with strong contempt
- 輕蔑 /轻蔑 (qīngmiè)to regard with strong contempt
Czech pohrdání, opovržení
- pohrdánífeeling of contempt or scorn
- opovrženífeeling of contempt or scorn
- despektfeeling of contempt or scorn
- přezíránífeeling of contempt or scorn
- pohrdatto regard with strong contempt
- opovrhovatto regard with strong contempt
Danish despekt, foragt
- despektfeeling of contempt or scorn
- foragtfeeling of contempt or scorn
Dutch ongenoegen, verachting
- ongenoegenfeeling of contempt or scorn
- verachtingfeeling of contempt or scorn
- minachtento regard with strong contempt
- versmadento regard with strong contempt
Esperanto malestimo
- malestimofeeling of contempt or scorn
Finnish halveksunta, väheksyntä
- halveksuntafeeling of contempt or scorn
- väheksyntäfeeling of contempt or scorn
- halveksuato regard with strong contempt
French dédain, mépris
- dédainfeeling of contempt or scorn
- méprisfeeling of contempt or scorn
- dédaignerto regard with strong contempt
- mépriserto regard with strong contempt
German Verachtung, Geringschätzung
- Verachtungfeeling of contempt or scorn
- Geringschätzungfeeling of contempt or scorn
- Missachtungfeeling of contempt or scorn
- verachtento regard with strong contempt
- verschmähento regard with strong contempt
Hebrew בוז, בָּז
- בוז (buz)feeling of contempt or scorn
- בָּז (báz)to regard with strong contempt
Hindi तिरस्कार, तिरस्कार
- तिरस्कार (tiraskār)feeling of contempt or scorn
- तिरस्कार (tiraskār)to regard with strong contempt
Hungarian megvetés, megvet
- megvetésfeeling of contempt or scorn
- megvetto regard with strong contempt
Irish dímheas
- dímheasfeeling of contempt or scorn
Italian sdegno, disdegno
- sdegnofeeling of contempt or scorn
- disdegnofeeling of contempt or scorn
- disprezzofeeling of contempt or scorn
- sdegnareto regard with strong contempt
- sprezzareto regard with strong contempt
- spregiareto regard with strong contempt
Japanese 唾棄, 軽蔑
- 唾棄 (daki)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 軽蔑 (keibetsu)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 軽侮 (keibu)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 侮蔑 (bubetsu)feeling of contempt or scorn
- 見下す (mikudasu)to regard with strong contempt
- 蔑む (sagesumu)to regard with strong contempt
- 唾棄する (daki suru)to regard with strong contempt
- 軽蔑する (keibetsu suru)to regard with strong contempt
- 軽侮する (keibu suru)to regard with strong contempt
Korean 경멸
- 경멸 (gyeongmyeol)feeling of contempt or scorn
Latin despectio, fastus
- despectiofeeling of contempt or scorn
- fastusfeeling of contempt or scorn
- despicioto regard with strong contempt
- dēdignorto regard with strong contempt
- aspernorto regard with strong contempt
Māori whakatoa, whakatoatoa
- whakatoato regard with strong contempt
- whakatoatoato regard with strong contempt
- tamatamato regard with strong contempt
- tokorekoto regard with strong contempt
- whakarekoto regard with strong contempt
- whakakurīmōrito regard with strong contempt
- whakapuw(h)etoto regard with strong contempt
- whakamanumanuto regard with strong contempt
Norwegian forakte, kimse av
- forakteto regard with strong contempt
- kimse avto regard with strong contempt
Norwegian Bokmål forakt
- foraktfeeling of contempt or scorn
Polish pogarda, gardzić
- pogardafeeling of contempt or scorn
- gardzićto regard with strong contempt
Portuguese desdém, desprezo
- desdémfeeling of contempt or scorn
- desprezofeeling of contempt or scorn
- desdenharto regard with strong contempt
- desprezarto regard with strong contempt
Romanian desconsiderare, dispreț
- desconsiderarefeeling of contempt or scorn
- disprețfeeling of contempt or scorn
Russian презре́ние, пренебреже́ние
- презре́ние (prezrénije)feeling of contempt or scorn
- пренебреже́ние (prenebrežénije)feeling of contempt or scorn
- презира́ть (prezirátʹ)to regard with strong contempt
- презре́ть (prezrétʹ)to regard with strong contempt
Scottish Gaelic tàire, dìmeas
- tàirefeeling of contempt or scorn
- dìmeasfeeling of contempt or scorn
- tàireto regard with strong contempt
Spanish desdén, desprecio
- desdénfeeling of contempt or scorn
- despreciofeeling of contempt or scorn
- desdeñofeeling of contempt or scorn
- desdeñarto regard with strong contempt
- despreciarto regard with strong contempt
Swedish förakt, förakta
- föraktfeeling of contempt or scorn
- föraktato regard with strong contempt
Ukrainian прези́рство
- прези́рство (prezýrstvo)feeling of contempt or scorn
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with disdain
Cite this entry
disdain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disdain
“disdain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disdain. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disdain,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disdain.
Source: disdain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.