Select the appropriate antonym for the word CONTEMPT:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → respect
Contempt means the feeling that someone or something is worthless and deserves no respect. Its antonym is respect.
Example: She looked at the cheat with contempt.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) disdain | the feeling that someone is not worth one's attention (a synonym of contempt) | He treated the poor waiter with disdain. |
| (2) despise | to feel contempt for someone (a verb with the same sense, not an opposite) | Honest people despise cheating. |
| (3) respect (answer) | a feeling of admiration and high regard for someone's qualities (looking down on someone and looking up to someone are opposite feelings) | The students have great respect for their principal. |
| (4) disrespect | a lack of respect (it is close in meaning to contempt, not opposite to it) | Talking back to elders is a sign of disrespect. |
| Synonyms of contempt: disdain, scorn, derision, disrespect Antonyms of contempt: respect, admiration, esteem, regard Also asked in CUET (UG): contempt – 27-05-2025 Slot 1, 19-07-2024 Slot 1 disdain – 21-05-2026 Slot 1, 27-05-2025 Slot 1 despise – 07-06-2023 Slot 2, 16-09-2022 Slot 1 |