Meanings
comparative more disdainful · superlative most disdainful · alternative obsolete disdainfull
- Showing contempt or scorn; having a pronounced lack of concern for others viewed as unworthy.
She glimpsed at the people whom she had left behind, and smirked in the most disdainful manner towards them.
1 more example
He was disdainful of those he thought of as the little people. He openly sneered at them. They mocked him behind his back.
Synonyms: despising, scornful, contemptuous, supercilious, belittling, blistering, contumelious, deprecative
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveShowing contempt or scorn; having a pronounced lack of concern for others viewed as unworthy.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveexpressing extreme contempt
adjectivehaving or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian презри́телен, пренебрежи́телен
- презри́телен (prezrítelen)showing contempt or scorn
- пренебрежи́телен (prenebrežítelen)showing contempt or scorn
Chinese Mandarin 輕蔑的 /轻蔑的, 侮辱的
- 輕蔑的 /轻蔑的 (qīngmiè de)showing contempt or scorn
- 侮辱的 (wǔrǔ de, wūrǔ de)showing contempt or scorn
Czech pohrdavý, opovržlivý
- pohrdavýshowing contempt or scorn
- opovržlivýshowing contempt or scorn
- přezíravýshowing contempt or scorn
Dutch laatdunkend, minachtend
- laatdunkendshowing contempt or scorn
- minachtendshowing contempt or scorn
- neerbuigendshowing contempt or scorn
Finnish halveksiva, halveksuva
- halveksivashowing contempt or scorn
- halveksuvashowing contempt or scorn
- ylenkatseellinenshowing contempt or scorn
French dédaigneux
- dédaigneuxshowing contempt or scorn
German geringschätzig, verächtlich
- geringschätzigshowing contempt or scorn
- verächtlichshowing contempt or scorn
Greek ακατάδεκτος
- ακατάδεκτος (akatádektos)showing contempt or scorn
Italian sprezzante, disdegnoso
- sprezzanteshowing contempt or scorn
- disdegnososhowing contempt or scorn
Latin fastōsus
- fastōsusshowing contempt or scorn
Norwegian Bokmål foraktelig, foraktfull
- forakteligshowing contempt or scorn
- foraktfullshowing contempt or scorn
Polish pogardliwy
- pogardliwyshowing contempt or scorn
Portuguese desdenhoso
- desdenhososhowing contempt or scorn
Romanian disprețuitor
- disprețuitorshowing contempt or scorn
Russian презри́тельный, пренебрежи́тельный
- презри́тельный (prezrítelʹnyj)showing contempt or scorn
- пренебрежи́тельный (prenebrežítelʹnyj)showing contempt or scorn
Spanish desdeñoso, displicente
- desdeñososhowing contempt or scorn
- displicenteshowing contempt or scorn
Swedish föraktfull
- föraktfullshowing contempt or scorn
Ukrainian прези́рливий, пого́рдливий
- прези́рливий (prezýrlyvyj)showing contempt or scorn
- пого́рдливий (pohórdlyvyj)showing contempt or scorn
Cite this entry
disdainful. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disdainful
“disdainful.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disdainful. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disdainful,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disdainful.
Source: disdainful on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.