French word

méprisant

Pronunciation

IPA/mepʁizɑ̃/

Meaning

  • adjectivecontemptuous

Example

Il a un sourire méprisant.

He has a contemptuous smile.

Illustration for méprisant (contemptuous)

More examples

Elle a répondu d'un ton méprisant.

She replied in a contemptuous tone.

Core concept

A person looking down on someone as beneath notice, with contempt visible in the face, voice, or manner.

Common phrases

  • sourire méprisant

    contemptuous smile

  • regard méprisant

    contemptuous look

  • ton méprisant

    contemptuous tone

Similar words

dédaigneux: Showing disdain by judging someone as inferior and unworthy.
hautain: Acting haughtily with a strong sense of superiority.
condescendant: Speaking or behaving in a patronizing, superior way.
arrogant: Acting overconfidently and forcefully because of assumed ability or status.

Definition in French

Qui manifeste du mépris, considérant quelqu'un ou quelque chose comme inférieur ou sans valeur par le regard, le ton ou l'attitude.

Word origin

Méprisant comes from French mépriser, inherited from Old French mespriser and linked to Latin pretium, meaning value.

Usage tips

  • Méprisant agrees in gender and number: méprisante is feminine, while méprisants and méprisantes are plural forms.

Other meanings

  • condescendingadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word