contumely: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very low (C2+)Literary, formal, archaic
Quick answer
What does “contumely” mean?
Rude language or behaviour.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Rude language or behaviour; scornful insults.
Humbling or humiliating scornful abuse or treatment, often implying arrogance or contempt on the part of the giver, and injury or mortification on the part of the receiver.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. It is equally archaic and literary in both varieties.
Connotations
The primary connotation is of a haughty, insolent, or scornful form of abuse, often from a position of perceived superiority.
Frequency
Extremely rare in modern usage in both dialects, found almost exclusively in literary or historical contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “contumely” in a Sentence
subject + heap/feel/show + contumely + on/upon + objectobject + suffer/endure + contumelycontumely + directed at/towards + objectVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “contumely” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A. The verb 'contumeliate' is obsolete.
American English
- N/A. The verb 'contumeliate' is obsolete.
adverb
British English
- N/A. The adverb is 'contumeliously'. He spoke contumeliously of his former allies.
American English
- N/A. The adverb is 'contumeliously'. The review contumeliously dismissed the author's entire oeuvre.
adjective
British English
- N/A. The adjective is 'contumelious'. He was known for his contumelious remarks.
American English
- N/A. The adjective is 'contumelious'. His contumelious behaviour shocked the committee.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used only in historical, literary, or philosophical analysis, e.g., discussing themes in Shakespeare or medieval law.
Everyday
Never used. Would sound bizarrely archaic.
Technical
Historically in law (contempt of court, 'contumely' as insulting behaviour), but obsolete.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “contumely”
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “contumely”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “contumely”
- Mispronouncing it with stress on the second syllable (/kənˈtjuːməli/ is obsolete).
- Using it in modern contexts.
- Confusing it with 'calumny' (false accusation).
- Using it as a synonym for simple 'anger' or 'criticism'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is extremely rare, literary, and archaic. You will almost never encounter it outside of historical texts, Shakespeare, or very formal, stylised writing.
Its most famous use is in William Shakespeare's *Hamlet* (Act III, Scene 1), in the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy: "...the oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely..."
It is a mass (uncountable) noun. You do not say 'a contumely' or 'contumelies'. It describes the abstract concept or state of insulting behaviour.
In modern standard pronunciations, the stress is on the first syllable: KON-tyoo-muh-lee (UK) / KAHN-too-muh-lee (US). An older pronunciation with stress on the second syllable (kun-TYOO-muh-lee) is now obsolete.
Rude language or behaviour.
Contumely is usually literary, formal, archaic in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “"the proud man's contumely" (from Hamlet)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'CONTUMELY' as 'CONTEMPT' + 'TRULY' — it is a state of truly contemptuous insult.
Conceptual Metaphor
INSULT IS A WEAPON (to be heaped upon someone); SCORN IS A LIQUID (to be poured forth).
Practice
Quiz
'Contumely' is most closely associated with which of the following?