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contumely

con·tu·me·ly
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [kon-too-muh-lee, -tyoo-; kuh n-too-muh-lee, -tyoo-; kon-tuh m-lee, -tyoom, -chuh m]
    • /ˈkɒn tʊ mə li, -tyʊ-; kənˈtu mə li, -ˈtyu-; ˈkɒn təm li, -tyum, -tʃəm/
    • /ˈkɒn.tjuːm.li/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [kon-too-muh-lee, -tyoo-; kuh n-too-muh-lee, -tyoo-; kon-tuh m-lee, -tyoom, -chuh m]
    • /ˈkɒn tʊ mə li, -tyʊ-; kənˈtu mə li, -ˈtyu-; ˈkɒn təm li, -tyum, -tʃəm/

Definitions of contumely word

  • noun contumely scornful or insulting language or behaviour 3
  • noun contumely a humiliating or scornful insult 3
  • noun contumely haughty and contemptuous rudeness; insulting and humiliating treatment or language 3
  • noun contumely an instance of this; scornful insult 3
  • noun plural contumely insulting display of contempt in words or actions; contemptuous or humiliating treatment. 1
  • noun plural contumely a humiliating insult. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of contumely

First appearance:

before 1350
One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English contumelie (< Anglo-French) < Latin contumēlia, perhaps akin to contumāx (see contumacy), though formation and sense development are unclear

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Contumely

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

contumely popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 68% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

contumely usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for contumely

noun contumely

  • remark — to say casually, as in making a comment: Someone remarked that tomorrow would be a warm day.
  • humiliation — an act or instance of humiliating or being humiliated.
  • disdain — to look upon or treat with contempt; despise; scorn.
  • arrogance — the quality or state of being arrogant; overbearing pride or self-importance
  • abuse — Abuse of someone is cruel and violent treatment of them.

Antonyms for contumely

noun contumely

  • praise — the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
  • admiration — Admiration is a feeling of great liking and respect for a person or thing.
  • humility — the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.
  • compliment — A compliment is a polite remark that you say to someone to show that you like their appearance, appreciate their qualities, or approve of what they have done.
  • flattery — the act of flattering.

Top questions with contumely

  • what is contumely?
  • what does contumely mean?

See also

Matching words

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