proverb · Words worth keeping
Scorning is catching.
Scorning is catching.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Contempt can spread through a group when people copy one another’s tone. Catching scorn pictures a social response becoming contagious.
Example
A participant stops repeating a mocking nickname and asks the group to discuss the actual concern respectfully.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying makes a dismissive manner something others can pick up. A joke or sneer may encourage further ridicule before anyone examines its fairness. This is a metaphor about imitation, not a claim of literal infection. A careful application notices the conduct and interrupts it without returning the same contempt. Criticism can still be direct and justified when it addresses evidence rather than demeaning people.
When to use it
Use it to question ridicule that is spreading by imitation.
Keep in mind
Contempt does not spread inevitably, and respectful criticism need not be suppressed.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English