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Scorn

Psychology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Open contempt or disdain expressed through bitter mockery, sarcastic wit, and dismissive gestures—in poetry, scorn fuels satire, dramatic monologues, and political invective, wielding harsh consonants and deflating metaphors to expose folly or hypocrisy, yet its intensity often reveals the scoffer's vulnerability, making it a double-edged emotional weapon.

Detailed Definition
Scorn in poetry lashes through sarcastic wit, harsh consonants, and dismissive gestures. It fuels satire, dramatic monologues, and political invective, exposing folly or hypocrisy. Poets use scorn to assert moral superiority or mask wounded pride. Scorn can be withering, yet its intensity often reveals deep engagement. It invites readers to share righteous anger, while questioning the scoffer's vulnerability, making scorn a double-edged emotional weapon.
Example
Example in poetry:
Scorn in Robert Browning's "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister" where scorn is a theme; In Jonathan Swift's satirical poems, scorn is a device; In W.H. Auden's poetry, scorn is a tone; In contemporary poetry, scorn often masks vulnerability; In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," scorn is a theme; In dramatic monologues, scorn reveals character.
Additional Notes
Scorn in poetry lashes through sarcastic wit, harsh consonants, and dismissive gestures, fueling satire, dramatic monologues, and political invective. In teaching, distinguish scorn from contempt: scorn is open mockery, while contempt is settled disdain. Scorn can be withering, yet its intensity often reveals deep engagement. It invites readers to share righteous anger while questioning the scoffer's vulnerability. Students should examine how poets use biting irony, deflating similes, and dismissive address to convey scorn's sharp, exposing edge.
Also Known As
Contempt derision mockery disdain ridicule scorning spurn deride
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