Definition

1. Verb:
   • To despise; to scorn; to hold in contempt: To regard someone or something as utterly worthless, inferior, or beneath consideration, often accompanied by a strong feeling of disdain.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta không giấu được vẻ khinh miệt đối với những kẻ xu nịnh. (He could not hide his scorn for sycophants.)
  • Thái độ khinh miệt của cô ấy thể hiện rõ qua ánh mắt. (Her contemptuous attitude was clear in her eyes.)
  • Không nên khinh miệt người khác vì hoàn cảnh của họ. (One should not despise others for their circumstances.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "khinh miệt" conveys a stronger and more active emotion than simply looking down on someone ("khinh thường"). It implies a combination of disdain and active rejection.

Variants and Related Words

• Khinh (v): to look down upon, to disdain (often less intense than "khinh miệt").
• Miệt (v, literary): to scorn, to despise. Rarely used alone in modern Vietnamese, it primarily appears in compound words like "khinh miệt".
• Khinh thị (v): to disdain, to regard with contempt (similar in meaning, slightly more formal).

Synonyms

• Despise: To feel a strong, active contempt for.
• Scorn: To treat with a profound, often mocking, contempt.
• Hold in contempt: To consider someone or something as completely unworthy of respect.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Ánh mắt/Thái độ khinh miệt: A scornful look/attitude of contempt.
  • Cô ấy đáp lại bằng một ánh mắt khinh miệt. (She responded with a look of utter contempt.)

1. Think little and scorn