Etymologically
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disrespectful

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 03:23. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /dɪs.ɹɪˈspɛkt.fəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English dis- + respectful,[2][3][4][5][6] after disrespect.[2][5] Johnson (1755) analysed it as disrespect and full.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lacking or showing a lack of respect: before 1677, in Isaac Barrow's Of Love of God.[2] Etymonline dates it to the 1670s,[3] Dictionary.com to 1670–80, and the Shorter Oxford to the late 17th century.[6][5]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed close to its first one, the opposite of respectful.[2][5] Johnson (1755) glossed it "irreverent; uncivil",[7] and Etymonline gives the same two senses.[3] The adverb disrespectfully and the noun disrespectfulness are recorded from the late 17th century too.[5]

Timeline

  • before 1677 – showing a lack of respect.[2]
  • 1755 – Johnson glosses it as irreverent and uncivil.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Lacking proper respect in speech or action; showing contempt: a disrespectful remark about the referee.[4][2][5]
  2. Uncivil or discourteous: It was disrespectful to talk through the speech.[4][7]

Word family

  • disrespectfully
  • disrespectfulness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.