1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the contemptible thieves who stole the Christmas gifts intended for needy children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
a contemptible attempt at science fiction by someone with no understanding of the genre
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
the contemptible behavior of the students who took part in the hazing
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Recent Examples of contemptible
Your death was preventable, unjust, tragic, and contemptible; utterly contemptible.
—
Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
Reuniting with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director George Roy Hill, Newman and Redford play con men out to ruin a contemptible gangster (Robert Shaw), devising an elaborate scam with plenty of twists, turns, contrivances, and double crosses.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2025
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
Reuniting with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director George Roy Hill, Newman and Redford play con men out to ruin a contemptible gangster (Robert Shaw), devising an elaborate scam with plenty of twists, turns, contrivances, and double crosses.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2025
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemptible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemptible
Adjective
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These two beacons of truth and connoisseurs of mess have been bonded for over a decade, sharing the traumas of a crappy Boston dorm room and a pitiful Brooklyn dating scene.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
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Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a pitiful plea for attention on the part of the poster.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But as Notes from Underground progresses, his behavior turns from funny to pathetic to downright despicable.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The bleak tortures Ohm concocts for his characters are as vile as the Bilberry’s fetid jacuzzi.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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There’s something vile, yet attractive about the film, an encapsulation of the fact that people and the internet are downright weird.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And getting all giddy over some lame light beer that has apple juice poured into to is just plain embarrassing.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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During the Braves’ recent trip to Philadelphia, Kyle Farmer came down with a nasty illness possibly brought on by norovirus.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 May 2026
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Mfume has not joined in the negative attack game, but Conway, like other failing candidates, has decided his only political pathway is simply to run a nasty and divisive campaign.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The carrier failed to secure a financial lifeline to continue operating, ending the discount air travel pioneer’s time in the sky, costing some 17,000 jobs and thousands of cheap flights in the market.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
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Villa can be vulnerable to cheap giveaways in midfield, so Emery moved Morgan Rogers alongside Watkins up front and in the inside-right channel, higher upfield and not in central or deep positions where he can be swarmed.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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The drinks attract younger women, typically age 16 to 35, and are aimed at health-conscious customers that don’t want Swig’s more caloric and filling dirty sodas, CEO Alex Dunn said.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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That wasn’t the only utensil stored in a dirty place.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Still, Ohm is more despairing and miserable than any of the wretched worms Scott has acted to date.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Sullivan has run a refreshing offseason, considering his wretched inheritance.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemptible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemptible. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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