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.
The French Football Federation — which said in a statement that Amarilla’s remarks were “utterly despicable and unacceptable” and “criminal and reprehensible” — turned in a complaint to the national unit for combating online hate.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
The Minions, we learn in their latest adventure, were originally a seafaring folk who traveled the oceans in rowboats looking for the most evil and despicable master they could possibly find.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
They have committed the most despicable and vindictive acts against the very people who risked everything for the revolution.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
The chimp war study went viral for a variety of reasons, not least of them the lurid spectacle of a species other than our own committing despicable acts.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
A week after we heard that he had been caught by the field gendarmes, those despicable military police.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
