despicable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- despicability noun
- despicableness noun
- despicably adverb
Etymology
Origin of despicable
1545–55; < Late Latin dēspicābilis, equivalent to Latin dēspic ( ārī ) to despise or dēspic ( ere ) to look down ( dē- de- + -spic- look, combining form of specere ) + -ābilis -able
Explanation
Stealing the last piece of food from a starving child goes way beyond mean. It's despicable — a vile and harmful act. Mean, nasty, and scummy are synonyms of despicable, but they don't fully convey the awfulness of despicable. A man who lies to get a promotion meant for his co-worker would be considered mean. But the despicable man — the one who is so awful and worthless that he deserves to be despised — is the one who burns down the office building and frames his co-worker for it.
Vocabulary lists containing despicable
Holes
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Bush's Address on 9/11
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Estrosi, who is a vocal supporter of Israel and whose wife is Jewish, denounced the act as despicable and said he wouldn’t be intimidated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
Zelensky called it a "despicable attack" on military personnel in a post on X and urged Iran to put an end to attacks against its neighbouring countries.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
He praised the victim's bravery and slammed Boultwood's "despicable actions" and lack of remorse.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
“It’s despicable to imprison a person for exercising their 1st Amendment rights,” McBroom said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026
He is the sort of despicable person who has no understanding of how despicable he is, and my badgering him with insults won’t change that; nothing will.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
