contemptuously
/kənˈtɛmp.t͡ʃu.əs.li/adverb
contemptuously is spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-P-T-U-O-U-S-L-Y: 14 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, contemptuously means “In a disrespectful or discourteous manner; condescendingly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in contemptuously?
| Letters | 14: C-O-N-T-E-M-P-T-U-O-U-S-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 81,375th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is contemptuously?
Contemptuously appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce contemptuously?
- UK /kənˈtɛmp.tʃu.əs.li/
- UK /kənˈtɛmp.tju.əs.li/
- US /kənˈtɛmp.t͡ʃu.əs.li/
Contemptuously has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-contemptuously.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contemptuously
- more contemptuously comparative
- most contemptuously superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contemptuously mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a disrespectful or discourteous manner; condescendingly.
He argued with the judge contemptuously, showing no respect or remorse for his actions.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does contemptuously come from?
From contemptuous + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).