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scorn
/skɔːrn/
contemptuous disdain
She looked at his suggestion with scorn.
She showed strong disdain or contempt for his idea.
formalinformal
Contemptuous disdain or derision for someone or something regarded as unworthy.
The critic's scorn for the amateur performance was evident in his review.
The critic clearly showed his contempt for the performance.
He scorned the idea of compromise, believing it was a sign of weakness.
He rejected the idea of compromise with strong disdain.
Often used to express strong negative feelings of superiority over someone or something.
Collocations
scornful looka look showing contemptscorned loversomeone who has been rejected with contemptscorn the ideareject an idea with contempt
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Usage Context
Use 'scorn' to express strong disdain, often in formal or literary contexts.
Gold Rule
Verb vs. Noun
'Scorn' can be both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to reject with contempt; as a noun, it refers to the feeling of contempt itself.
Word Origin
From Middle English *scornen*, from Old French *escarnir*, from Latin *ex-* (out) + *carn-* (flesh), originally meaning 'to tear flesh off' (as a punishment).
Usage Notes
Often used in formal or literary contexts to describe strong negative emotions. Can be used as a noun or verb.
Word Breakdown
scorn
contempt or derision
rootEnglish Dictionary