To treat someone with contempt or disrespect, rejecting them as unworthy or despising them.
From Old French 'escorner,' meaning 'to mock.' The word has Germanic roots and entered English around the 1300s, originally meaning to jeer or mock, which evolved to mean complete rejection and disdain.
There's a famous saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' from an old play, showing how deeply rejection can hurt people! Anthropologists have found that humans are actually more sensitive to rejection than most other emotions because historically, being rejected by your group was life-threatening.
Historically applied asymmetrically to women, particularly regarding sexuality and romantic rejection. 'Scorned woman' trope frames women's anger as irrational vengeance rather than justified response.
Use as neutral emotional descriptor. Avoid when describing women's justified anger, which risks weaponizing the 'scorned woman' stereotype.
["rejected","dismissed","disrespected","angered by betrayal"]
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