scorn
n. uncountablen. a strong feeling that someone or something is worthless and does not deserve any respect. You feel this when you think someone is far below you or has done something very bad.
n. a feeling of contempt or disdain toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy. Often implies a sense of superiority on the part of the observer.
He looked at the cheap toy with scorn.
The politician's proposal was met with scorn by the public, who felt it ignored their most basic needs.
The artist treated the critics' negative reviews with quiet scorn, refusing to acknowledge their authority to judge his experimental new direction.
Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin escarnire, from Proto-West Germanic skarnijan, possibly from Proto-Germanic skeraną (“to shear”) (from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- (“to cut”)), or possibly related to skarną (“dung, filth”) (from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱerd-, *(s)ḱer- (“dung, manure, filth”)). Noun from Old French escarn (cognate with Portuguese escárnio, Spanish escarnio and Italian scherno). Cognate with Middle High German schern (“joke, mockery, scorn”), Old English sċierniċġe (“female entertainer, juggler, actress”).
Commonly follows the prepositions 'with' or 'in', and often takes the preposition 'for' to indicate the target of the feeling.