despicable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Le Pen called for a "relentless" investigation and said it was "despicable" if racism was the shooter's motive.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
“These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Local MSP Keith Brown said Lowe was "a stain on our politics" and called his comments on the mass murder "beyond despicable."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But Lotso’s nihilism, borne from being accidentally abandoned and then replaced, made him a despicable despot, far removed from the good old days when he smelled like strawberries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
His chess prowess and velvet tongue may have blinded some people to his despicable past, proving the adage that sometimes chess players make strange team fellows.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
