Familiarity breeds contempt.

Close and repeated contact can sometimes erode admiration or restraint, making faults more visible and encouraging people to take one another for granted.

The saying warns that intimacy does not automatically produce respect. Without appreciation and boundaries, knowing someone or something very well may lead to dismissiveness or scorn, though familiarity can also foster trust and understanding.

Use it when frequent exposure seems to have reduced respect for a person, role, institution, or valued thing. It can describe a relationship pattern or caution against treating what is familiar as unworthy of consideration, but may sound judgmental when applied directly to a person's conduct.