How to Use contempt in a Sentence

contempt

noun
  • He spoke with contempt in his voice.
  • He feels that wealthy people view him with contempt because he is poor.
  • She was arrested for contempt of court.
  • She has displayed a profound contempt for her opponents.
  • It’s the second time the state has been held in contempt.
    Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 18 Dec. 2020
  • The court may find me in contempt, and order me to jail.
    Bridget Read, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2019
  • The contempt request has not yet been ruled on by the court.
    Jina Moore, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2018
  • By noting the contempt that greets her, the book captures the times.
    Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022
  • The judge held Mays in contempt of court and sentenced him to 30 days in jail.
    Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 16 Aug. 2022
  • Again, the judge told her to return in a dress or be held in contempt.
    Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2020
  • Lawrence is well aware of Black’s contempt for bases on balls.
    Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
  • All the while, Passmore Williamson was still in jail for contempt.
    Carrie Hagen, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020
  • At the city's request, Gasiorkiewicz found her in contempt.
    Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 Oct. 2020
  • It’s the second time in less than a year that Jack has found Texas in contempt of court.
    Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 4 Sep. 2020
  • To do so would risk being held in contempt of court — and put in jail.
    BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2019
  • The contempt resolution now goes to the full House for a vote.
    Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2019
  • But is their contempt for Trump enough reason to get high turnout at the polls?
    Alexia Fernández Campbell, Vox, 30 July 2019
  • That grin is a smirk, a freeze-frame guffaw, and a snicker of contempt all at the same time.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Mar. 2022
  • The judges called the board members lucky that the visa applicant didn’t ask the court to hold them in contempt.
    Malathi Nayak, Bloomberg.com, 6 May 2020
  • Arpaio was charged and later found guilty of contempt of court.
    Uriel J. Garcia, The Arizona Republic, 4 Aug. 2020
  • No date has been set for a hearing on the contempt motion.
    Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Nov. 2021
  • Her lawyers moved to hold him in contempt of court, which could lead to his arrest.
    Erika Kinetz and Lori Hinnant, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Sep. 2021
  • The Reels brothers were held in contempt of court for nearly eight years.
    Jade Lawson, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2023
  • Neither of them was among those Schimel said should face contempt charges.
    Scott Bauer, The Seattle Times, 17 Dec. 2017
  • Yetter, the lawyer for the children, said Jack should hold the state in contempt, which could lead to large daily fines.
    Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 28 Aug. 2023
  • At the same time, the play turns Sophia into an object of contempt to her mother.
    Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2024
  • He was jailed twice for contempt of court and vilified by much of the press and public.
    Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2020
  • South went down one, and West ate up the Little Pig out of sheer contempt for his dummy play.
    Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024
  • And who have a hard time feeling anything but contempt for the other.
    Gene Weingarten, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Holder, who served under Obama, was the first attorney general in U.S. history to be held in criminal contempt by Congress.
    Bethany Blankley | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contempt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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