Meanings
- A prolonged closeness or exposure or a profound knowledge of someone or something often leads to diminished respect or appreciation.
“For a person to read his own works over with any great delight, he ought first to forget that he ever wrote them. Familiarity naturally breeds contempt.”
1822, William Hazlitt, chapter 1, in Table-Talk3 more examples
“[S]uffer [your children] not to carry themselves unreverently or contemptuously towards you [parents]; but to keep their distance. For too much familiarity breedeth contempt, and imboldeneth to disobedience.”
1673, Richard Baxter, chapter X, in A Christian Directory, part II[F]or Ayesha was certainly an exception to the rule. Familiarity with her might and did breed passion and wonder and horror, but it certainly did not breed contempt.
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLCThis was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.
1894, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 25, in The People Of The MistSynonyms: the more one learns about people, the more one likes one's pet
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbA prolonged closeness or exposure or a profound knowledge of someone or something often leads to diminished respect or appreciation.
Translations
Finnish tuttua on helpompi inhota
- tuttua on helpompi inhotaif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Hindi घर की मुर्ग़ी दाल बराबर
- घर की मुर्ग़ी दाल बराबर (ghar kī murġī dāl barābar)if you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Irish méadaíonn an taithí an tarcaisne
- méadaíonn an taithí an tarcaisneif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Italian confidenza toglie riverenza
- confidenza toglie riverenzaif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Polish przyzwyczajenie rodzi lekceważenie
- przyzwyczajenie rodzi lekceważenieif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Spanish donde hay confianza, da asco
- donde hay confianza, da ascoif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Thai เล่นกับหมาหมาเลียปาก เล่นกับสากสากต่อยหัว
- เล่นกับหมาหมาเลียปาก เล่นกับสากสากต่อยหัว (lên-gàp-mǎa-mǎa-liia-bpàak lên-gàp-sàak-sàak-dtɔ̀i-hǔua)if you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Urdu گھر کی مرغی دال برابر
- گھر کی مرغی دال برابر (ghar kī murġī dāl barābar)if you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Vietnamese Chơi chó, chó liếm mặt; chơi gà, gà mổ mắt, bụt nhà không thiêng
- Chơi chó, chó liếm mặt; chơi gà, gà mổ mắtif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
- bụt nhà không thiêngif you know someone very well, you stop respecting them
Cite this entry
familiarity breeds contempt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/familiarity%20breeds%20contempt
“familiarity breeds contempt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/familiarity%20breeds%20contempt. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “familiarity breeds contempt,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/familiarity%20breeds%20contempt.
Source: familiarity breeds contempt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.