Skip to content

disdegno

disdain

noun deez-DEN-yoh Rare

Also means

scorn

Usage Note

Disdegno expresses a cold, haughty contempt — a sense that something is beneath one's dignity. It is more literary and elevated than everyday disprezzo. The verb form is disdegnare (to disdain). A learner may confuse it with sdegno (indignation, righteous anger), which carries moral outrage rather than superiority; the two are close but distinct in register.

Examples

"Guardò la proposta con disdegno."

Natural Translation

He looked at the proposal with disdain.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Italian by topic