contumely
/ˈkɒnt͡ʃuːməli/
"contumely" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contumely” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Offensive and abusive language or behaviour; scorn, insult.
Corpus desk
Index EN-contumely · contumely · English
contumely · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contumely |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɒnt͡ʃuːməli/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “contumely” in English
Rare enough to double-check
contumely is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒnt͡ʃuːməli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Offensive and abusive language or behaviour; scorn, insult.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for contumely, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French contumelie, from Latin contumēlia (“insult”), perhaps from com- + tumeō (“swell”). The correct English form is contumely, spelled C-O-N-T-U-M-E-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Offensive and abusive language or behaviour; scorn, insult.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how contumely appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
For who would beare the Whips and Scornes of time, / The Oppressors wrong, the poore mans Contumely, [...]
Think of the insults, wrongs, and contumelies, / Ye bear from your proud lords—that your hard toil / Manures their fertile fields—you plow the earth, / You sow the corn, you reap the ripen'd harvest,— / They riot on the produce!— [...]
Etymology
From Old French contumelie, from Latin contumēlia (“insult”), perhaps from com- + tumeō (“swell”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.