A Word A Day : Contumelious





Thursday, 15th May 2008 : Today's Word is ...

Contumelious



( Adjective )




Pronunciation : fawrt & fáwr-tày


Definition:



1. having or showing an insulting, scornful or contemptuous attitude

2. rudeness or contempt arising from arrogance

3. relating to or characterized by verbal abuse


Etymology:


Middle English - contumelie - from Old French - from Latin contumlia - akin to contumx - insolent


Synonyms:


assuming, assumptive, audacious, bold, boldfaced, brash, brazen, cheeky, familiar, forward, impertinent, impudent, insolent, malapert, nervy, overconfident, pert, presuming, presumptuous, pushy, sassy, saucy, smart


Antonyms:


friendly, lovely


Contextual Examples:


• Van Schuylight Suffolk-Jones--came out to his waiting motor-car, wrinkling a contumelious nostril, as usual, at the Italian renaissance sculpture of the soap palace's front elevation.

• Too often she betrayed this, by the undue vent she gave to a spiteful antipathy she had conceived against little Adele: pushing her away with some contumelious epithet if she happened to approach her; sometimes ordering her from the room, and always treating her with coldness and acrimony.


Related Words:


contumeliously : Adverb

contumeliousness : Noun

contumely : Noun


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