Meanings
present singular third person scorns · participle present scorning · participle past scorned · past scorned
- transitiveTo feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
We scorn what is in itself contemptible or disgraceful.
1871, C. J. Smith, Synonyms Discriminated1 more example
The Cry is ſtill, they come: our Caſtles ſtrength / Will laugh a Siedge to ſcorne
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v], page 150Synonyms: contemn, disdain, contemn, despect, disrespect, despise, disdain, disesteem
- transitiveTo reject, turn down with disdain.
He scorned her romantic advances.
1 more example
Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, / Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman ſcorn'd.
1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, page 39Synonyms: spurn
- intransitiveTo scoff, to express contempt.
For miſerie doth braueſt mindes abate, / And make them ſeeke for that they wont to ſcorne, / Of fortune and of hope at once forlorne.
1578–1579, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale. [...] Dedicated to the Right Honorable the Ladie Compton and Mountegle”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. Whereof the Next Page Maketh Mention, London: Imprinted for William Ponsonbie, dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Bishops head, published 1591, →OCLCSynonyms: deride, mock, ridicule, scoff, sneer, gird, jeer, jibe
plural scorns
- countableA display of disdain; a slight.
Every sullen frown and bitter scorn / But fanned the fuel that too fast did burn.
1685, John Dryden, The Despairing Lover1 more example
VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First 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 I, scene vi], page 100, column 1 - countableAn object of disdain, contempt, or derision.
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 44:13
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
verbTo reject, turn down with disdain.
More synonyms by meaning
nounlack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
verbreject with contempt
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchescarn
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ḱerd-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-“to cut”
- Proto-Germanic*skeraną“to shear”
- Proto-West Germanic*skarnijan
- Vulgar Latin*escarnire
- Old Frenchescharnir
- Middle Englishscornen
- Englishscorn
Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin *escarnire, from Proto-West Germanic *skarnijan, possibly from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”)), or possibly related to *skarną (“dung, filth”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱerd-, *(s)ḱer- (“dung, manure, filth”)). Noun from Old French escarn (cognate with Portuguese escárnio, Spanish escarnio and Italian scherno). Cognate with Middle High German schern (“joke, mockery, scorn”), Old English sċierniċġe (“female entertainer, juggler, actress”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِحْتَقَرَ, استنكف
- اِحْتَقَرَ (iḥtaqara)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- استنكفto reject, turn down
- استخفto scoff or express contempt
Bulgarian презирам, оъхвърлям с презрение
- презирам (preziram)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- оъхвърлям с презрение (oăhvărljam s prezrenie)to reject, turn down
- присмивам се (prismivam se)to scoff or express contempt
- презрение (prezrenie)contempt, disdain
Catalan menyspreu, desdeny
- menyspreucontempt, disdain
- desdenycontempt, disdain
Chinese Mandarin 鄙薄, 輕蔑 /轻蔑
- 鄙薄 (bǐbó)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- 輕蔑 /轻蔑 (qīngmiè)contempt, disdain
Czech opovrhovat, pohrdat
- opovrhovatto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- pohrdatto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- odmítatto reject, turn down
- opovrhovatto scoff or express contempt
- pohrdatto scoff or express contempt
- opovrženícontempt, disdain
Dutch minachten, verachten
- minachtento feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- verachtento feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- minachtingcontempt, disdain
- verachtingcontempt, disdain
Esperanto malestimo
- malestimocontempt, disdain
Finnish halveksia, halveksua
- halveksiato feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- halveksuato feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- torjuato reject, turn down
- antaa piupautto reject, turn down
- kieltäytyäto refuse to do something, as beneath oneself
- halveksiato scoff or express contempt
- ylenkatsoato scoff or express contempt
- ivatato scoff or express contempt
- ylenkatsecontempt, disdain
- pilkkacontempt, disdain
French mépriser, dédaigner
- mépriserto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- dédaignerto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- mépriserto scoff or express contempt
- mépriscontempt, disdain
- dédaincontempt, disdain
German verachten, verschmähen
- verachtento feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- verschmähento reject, turn down
- verspottento scoff or express contempt
- Verachtungcontempt, disdain
Greek περιφρονώ, περιφρονώ
- περιφρονώ (perifronó)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- περιφρονώ (perifronó)to reject, turn down
- περιφρόνηση (perifrónisi)contempt, disdain
Hebrew בָּז, שאט־נפש
- בָּז (báz)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- שאט־נפש (sh'át-néfesh)contempt, disdain
Hindi तिरस्कार करना
- तिरस्कार करना (tiraskār karnā)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
Hungarian megvet, lenéz
- megvetto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- lenézto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- pocskondiázto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- megvetéscontempt, disdain
Irish dímheas, tarcaisne
- dímheascontempt, disdain
- tarcaisnecontempt, disdain
Italian disprezzare, disdegnare
- disprezzareto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- disdegnareto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- disprezzareto reject, turn down
- disprezzocontempt, disdain
Japanese 蔑む, 見下す
- 蔑む (sagesumu)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- 見下す (mikudasu)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- 撥ね付ける (hanetsukeru)to reject, turn down
- 嘲る (azakeru)to scoff or express contempt
- 嘲う (azawarau)to scoff or express contempt
- 軽蔑 (keibetsu)contempt, disdain
- 鄙薄 (hihaku)contempt, disdain
Korean 경멸
- 경멸 (gyeongmyeol)contempt, disdain
Latin contemnō, spernō
- contemnōto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- spernōto reject, turn down
- reiciōto reject, turn down
- contemptuscontempt, disdain
Māori whakareko, tokoreko
- whakarekoto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- tokorekoto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- hīkaka te ihuto scoff or express contempt
- whakahoeto scoff or express contempt
Persian حقارت
- حقارت (heqârat)contempt, disdain
Polish gardzić, lekceważyć
- gardzićto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- lekceważyćto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- wzgardzićto reject, turn down
- odrzucićto reject, turn down
- szydzićto scoff or express contempt
- drwićto scoff or express contempt
- pogardacontempt, disdain
- lekceważeniecontempt, disdain
Portuguese desprezar, desdenhar
- desprezarto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- desdenharto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- menosprezarto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- desprezocontempt, disdain
- escárniocontempt, disdain
- desdémcontempt, disdain
Romanian disprețui, respinge
- disprețuito feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- respingeto reject, turn down
- refuzato reject, turn down
- disprețuito scoff or express contempt
- urîto scoff or express contempt
- disprețcontempt, disdain
Russian презира́ть, относи́ться с пренебрежением
- презира́ть (prezirátʹ)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- относи́ться с пренебрежением (otnosítʹsja s prenebreženijem)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- отвергать (otvergatʹ)to reject, turn down
- насмехаться (nasmexatʹsja)to scoff or express contempt
- глумиться (glumitʹsja)to scoff or express contempt
- презре́ние (prezrénije)contempt, disdain
Slovak opovrhovať, ohrdnúť
- opovrhovaťto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- ohrdnúťto reject, turn down
- odmietnuťto reject, turn down
- opovrhnutiecontempt, disdain
- pohŕdaniecontempt, disdain
Spanish despreciar, desdeñar
- despreciarto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- desdeñarto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- menospreciarto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- rechazarto reject, turn down
- escarnecerto scoff or express contempt
- despreciocontempt, disdain
- desdéncontempt, disdain
- escarniocontempt, disdain
- ludibriocontempt, disdain
Swedish förakta, förakt
- föraktato scoff or express contempt
- föraktcontempt, disdain
- håncontempt, disdain
Tamil இகழ்
- இகழ் (ikaḻ)to feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
Vietnamese khinh bỉ, khinh miệt
- khinh bỉto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
- khinh miệtto feel contempt or disdain for something or somebody
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with scorn
Cite this entry
scorn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scorn
“scorn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scorn. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scorn,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scorn.
Source: scorn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.