Sentence:  And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme <WSD>contempt</WSD> of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The state or act of contemning; the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn, disdain.