蔑さげすむ

さ

げ

す

む

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

蔑む · godan verb (-mu)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	蔑さげすむ	蔑さげすまない
Polite	蔑さげすみます	蔑さげすみません
Past polite	蔑さげすみました	蔑さげすみませんでした
Past	蔑さげすんだ	蔑さげすまなかった
Te-form	蔑さげすんで	蔑さげすまないで
Desire	蔑さげすみたい	蔑さげすみたくない
Potential	蔑さげすめる	蔑さげすめない
Passive	蔑さげすまれる	蔑さげすまれない
Causative	蔑さげすませる	蔑さげすませない
Causative passive	蔑さげすませられるalso 蔑さげすまされる	蔑さげすませられないalso 蔑さげすまされない
Volitional	蔑さげすもう
Polite volitional	蔑さげすみましょう
Imperative	蔑さげすめ	蔑さげすむな
Conditional	蔑さげすめば	蔑さげすまなければ
Tara conditional	蔑さげすんだら	蔑さげすまなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-mu), transitive verb

scorn; despise; look down on

Expresses strong contempt or disdain for someone or something, often with a sense of looking down on them as inferior.

彼かれは他た人にんを蔑さげすむような態たい度どをとる。
He takes an attitude of looking down on others.
弱よわい者ものを蔑さげすんではいけない。
You must not despise the weak.

See all 26 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉を蔑さげすむto despise/look down on someone
彼かれは貧まずしい人ひと々びとを蔑さげすむ。
He looks down on poor people.
蔑さげすんだ目めで〈人ひと〉を見みるto look at someone with a scornful gaze
彼かの女じょは蔑さげすんだ目めで私わたしを見みた。
She looked at me with a scornful gaze.

Kanji

蔑ignore, despise, neglect
貶degrade, disparage, belittle

Related words· 6

軽けい蔑べつN1
軽蔑する is a common suru-verb for contempt, while 蔑む is a single godan verb that can feel more literary or intense.
見み下くだすN1
見下す can describe literally looking down from above or feeling superior, whereas 蔑む is purely emotional contempt.
侮あなどるN1
侮る focuses on underestimating someone's ability or strength, while 蔑む expresses outright contempt for their worth.
見み下さげる
見下げる is a near-synonym of 蔑む meaning to despise someone as beneath oneself, but is somewhat less common in modern speech.

Show 2 more

貶おとしめる
蔑む describes the feeling of contempt or scorn toward someone, whereas 貶める focuses on the act of lowering their status or reputation.
軽かろんじるN1
蔑む carries a stronger sense of scorn or contempt toward a person, whereas 軽んじる can apply to opinions, rules, or life in general, not just people.

Opposites

崇あがめる
蔑む means to look down on and despise someone, the opposite attitude of 崇める, which reveres and exalts.
哀あわれむN1
哀れむ expresses compassion or pity toward someone's misfortune, while 蔑む expresses contempt or scorn toward someone seen as inferior.
尊とうとぶN1
蔑む means to look down on or despise someone, the opposite of revering them as in 尊ぶ.

Word family

蔑さげすみ
contempt; disdain; scorn

Written forms

蔑さげすむUsage62%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
さげすむUsage38%
貶さげすむUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should recognize it but use 蔑む instead.

Etymology

The kanji 蔑 carries the meaning 'despise' or 'scorn'. The reading さげすむ is a native Japanese verb; the exact derivation is uncertain, but it may be related to 下げ (sageru, 'to lower') and すむ (sumu, an old verb for 'to do' or 'to think'), suggesting a sense of 'to lower in one's estimation'.