contumelious

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
16
Words With Friends
22
Letters
12
Pronunciation
/ˌkɒn.tjʊˈmiː.li.əs/ (UK)
See all 3 pronunciations
/ˌkɒn.tjʊˈmiː.li.əs/ (UK) · /ˌkɑn.tʊˈmiː.li.əs/ (US) · /ˌkɑn.tjuˈmiː.li.əs/ (US)

Definition of contumelious

1 sense · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. (archaic, literary)Rudely contemptuous; showing contumely; exhibiting an insolent or disdainful attitude.
    “VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.”
    “To sin against his law, is an high affront to his majesty; but to sin against his love and benefits is more contumelious to him.”
    “Such, and more contumelious, was the language of opposition in parliament, and of the pretended patriots in their private meetings, during the whole administration of sir Robert Walpole, who understood and pursued the true interests of his country, but, perhaps, without sufficiently attending to its honour.”
    “The pad would not stay on Modestine’s back for half a moment. I returned it to its maker, with whom I had so contumelious a passage that the street outside was crowded from wall to wall with gossips looking on and listening.”
    “"How now, you scullions and cullions: bring hither a pair of cow's hooves to out face this contumelious caitiff."”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Old French contumelieus, from Latin contumēliōsus (“insulting; abusive”), from contumēlia (“affront, abuse, insult”).

Words you can make from contumelious

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10-letter words

3 words

9-letter words

14 words

8-letter words

43 words

7-letter words

106 words

6-letter words

33 words

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