disdain means A feeling of contempt or scorn.
disdain is pronounced /dɪsˈdeɪn/.
Why “disdain” is a great word
A feeling of contempt or scorn for someone or something considered unworthy or inferior. Its lineage traces from Middle English disdeynen (verb), desdeyne (noun), from Old French desdeignier, ultimately from Latin dēdignārī, from dē- (expressing reversal) + dignārī (to deem worthy). Unlike "contempt," which suggests a profound, moral disgust, or "condescension," which implies a patronizing performance of superiority, disdain is a colder, quieter scorn, an internal verdict of insufficiency. It is the lifted chin, the averted gaze, the precise, glacial silence that follows a clumsy remark—a withdrawal of regard so complete it chills the very air.
Etymology
From Middle English disdeynen, from Old French desdeignier (modern French dédaigner).
noun
- A feeling of contempt or scorn.e.g.“The cat viewed the cheap supermarket catfood with disdain and stalked away.”
- That which is worthy to be disdained or regarded with contempt and aversion.e.g.“Most loathsom, filthy, foul, and full of vile Disdain.”
- The state of being despised; shame.e.g.“The leaves and fruit maintain'd with beauty's sun ; Exempt from envy , but not from disdain”
verb
- To regard (someone or something) with strong contempt.e.g.“When the Philistine […] saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth.”
- To be indignant or offended.e.g.“When the chefe prestes and scribes sawe, the marveylles that he dyd [...], they desdayned, and sayde unto hym: hearest thou what these saye?”
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