familiarity breeds contempt

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Excessive closeness or overexposure can lead to disrespect

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Sự quen thuộc quá mức có thể dẫn đến sự thiếu tôn trọng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: close relationship leading to scorn
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English
Sources & notes

Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Common questions

What does “familiarity breeds contempt” mean?

Excessive closeness or overexposure can lead to disrespect Literally: close relationship leading to scorn

Is “familiarity breeds contempt” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“bụt nhà không thiêng” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.