Adjective: contemptible
Comparison Forms
Synthetic
Perifrastic
| Comparative | more contemptible |
| Superlative | most contemptible |
Sample Sentences
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But a Devil came in juſt in the God-ſpeed, and told them; Gentlemen Philoſophers, (ſays he) if you vvould knovv the VVretched'ſt, and moſt contemptible thing in the VVorld; It is an Alchymiſt: […] [1667, Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, “The Sixth Vision of Hell”, in R[oger] L[’Estrange], transl., The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, […], London: […] H[enry] Herringman […], →OCLC, page 247:]
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Miss Ward's match, indeed, when it came to the point, was not contemptible: Sir Thomas being happily able to give his friend an income in the living of Mansfield […] [1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 2:]
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And they are dangerous because when worn they make their wearer look ridiculous and contemptible to those not enthralled by the same fashion; and when their moment has passed they take up precious closet space, taunting you and making you lament of money that should have been spent on something more longevous. [2006, Nicholas Antongiavanni [pseudonym; Michael Anton], The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 52:]
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One of the above petitioners had frequently praised Edward in the presence of Robert; but it was evidently disliked by the latter, and always drew from him some contemptible remark reflecting on the humility of his origin. [1846, The Cooper's Son:]
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But what a contemptible notion must he entertain of this House! [1874, John Campbell, Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England, volume 5:]
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Don't use vulgar curses; you should not be contemptible towards the Court. [1882, Bahrāmjī Mehrbānjī Malabārī, anonymous quotee, Gujarát and the Gujarátes:]
Adjectives inflected like contemptible
priest-ridden,
unreposed,
evadible,
dissentious,
dissentient,
unforesighted,
egocentrical,
unephemeral,
unennobling,
mensuralist,
flocculent,
unseductive,
whoopsy,
whooshy,
surrogate,
Nicodian,
unrepaired,
prismatoidal,
renorenal,
unseducible, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)
Etymology
From Middle English contemptible, from Latin contemptibilis. By surface analysis, contempt + -ible. See: Latin Adjectives '
contemptibilis'.