But, in the social hierarchy of school, this host of miseries was overlooked in favor of a much more contemptible indignity: I wanted to be a writer.

NEWYORKER: High-School Confidential

Or showed respect to a manager whose decisions and style you found contemptible?

FORBES: Authenticity And The 'Tale of Two Romneys'

Jonathan Libby, a public defender representing Mr. Alvarez, said at oral arguments that while his client's lies may be contemptible, the harm they caused was too "diffuse" to punish with a criminal conviction.

WSJ: Supreme Court Strikes Down 'Stolen Valor' Law