contemptibility

contemptibility — noun

1. the quality of being so morally bad or dishonourable that people feel strong dis

1.nounC2
Definition

the quality of being so morally bad or dishonourable that people feel strong disapproval and have no respect for you or your actions.

Example

Nkechi was shocked by the contemptibility of the company's decision to dump chemicals into the river.

collocation: the contemptibility of [someone's action]

The reporter's article revealed the contemptibility of the politician's secret deals with foreign lobbyists.

Common collocations
  • moral contemptibility
  • sheer contemptibility
  • the contemptibility of [someone's actions]
Synonyms
  • baseness

    more general; emphasises low moral character without necessarily suggesting disgust

  • despicableness

    stronger; suggests active malice or cruelty rather than mere weakness

  • sordidness

    more specific; implies dirty, corrupt, or self-serving behaviour with a sense of griminess

  • ignobility

    more literary; focuses on the absence of noble or honourable qualities

Antonyms
  • nobility

    possession of high moral character and honourable qualities

  • worthiness

    the quality of deserving respect and admiration

Usage Note

The noun contemptibility is far less common than the adjective contemptible. In everyday English, speakers usually say 'the contemptible nature of someone's actions' instead of using the noun directly.

Common Mistakes

His contemptibility towards the poor was shocking.
The contemptibility of his treatment of the poor was shocking.
Contemptibility describes a person's OWN quality of being worthy of contempt (what they deserve to receive), not a feeling of scorn that person directs at others.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four nouns describe a low or degraded moral state, but they differ in emphasis and register. Baseness is the broadest term, simply denoting a lack of moral elevation — a base act is one that is selfish or crude rather than actively evil. Despicableness carries stronger emotional force: something despicable arouses disgust and contempt, not just disapproval. Sordidness adds the dimension of dirtiness and corruption — sordid dealings involve lies, bribery, or exploitation conducted in secret. Ignobility is the most literary of the four, contrasting with nobility; it describes behaviour that falls short of the honourable standards expected of someone in a position of leadership or trust. For example, a politician who lies to voters shows ignobility; one who takes bribes from criminals shows sordidness; a company that knowingly sells unsafe products shows despicableness.

basenessdespicablenesssordidnessignobility

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the contemptibility of
  • contemptibility in

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Contemptibility comes from Latin contemptibilis ('worthy of scorn'), which itself comes from contemnere ('to despise strongly'), a combination of com- (an intensive prefix) and temnere ('to scorn'). The English suffix -ity turns the adjective into an abstract noun meaning 'the quality of being'. The word is a later formation than the more common adjective contemptible.