contemptible

(kən-tĕmp'tə-bəl)
adj.

1. Deserving of contempt; despicable.
2. Obsolete. Contemptuous.

contemptibility con·tempt'i·bil'i·ty or con·tempt'i·ble·ness n.
contemptibly con·tempt'i·bly adv.

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Contemptible in current use means 'deserving contempt'

(His defiant and sulky defence of his right to pat bottoms and hump secretaries, or pin women to the wall in sexual passes, is contemptible—Independent, 2006)

, whereas contemptuous means 'showing contempt'

(He has a fine independence of outlook and a contemptuous disregard for whatever is smart or fashionable among opinion-formers—Private Eye, 1977).

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Is President Bush's new domestic policy advisor, Karl Zinsmeister, piquant (appealingly provocative) or full of contempt? Depends on how you spin it. Recently, reporter Helen Thomas asked White House press secretary Tony Snow:

"Why did the President pick a man who is so contemptible of the public servants in Washington to be his Domestic Advisor -- saying, 'People in Washington are morally repugnant, cheating, shifty human beings'? Why would he pick such a man to be a Domestic Advisor?"

The press secretary corrected the doyenne's vocabulary, then zinged her back:

"You meant contemptuous, as opposed to contemptible, I think... [Zinsmeister] is somebody who expresses himself with a certain amount of piquancy -- you're perhaps familiar with that, aren't you, Helen?"

Link: Press Briefing by Tony Snow

Posted June 6, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

adjective

So objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation: abhorrent, abominable, antipathetic, despicable, despisable, detestable, disgusting, filthy, foul, infamous, loathsome, lousy, low, mean, nasty, nefarious, obnoxious, odious, repugnant, rotten, shabby, vile, wretched. See good/bad.

adj

Definition: despicable, shameful
Antonyms: admirable, admired, good, honorable, loved, respectable, worthy

For a list of words related to contemptible, see:

• Bad, False, Evil, Insincere, or Dishonest

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See words rhyming with "contemptible."