Synonyms

despise

American

[dih-spahyz] / dɪˈspaɪz /

verb (used with object)

despised, despising

to regard with contempt, distaste, disgust, or disdain; scorn; loathe.

Synonyms:

detest, contemn

Antonyms:

admire

despise British

/ dɪˈspaɪz /

verb

(tr) to look down on with contempt; scorn

he despises flattery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

despisable adjective
despisableness noun
despiser noun
despisingly adverb
undespised adjective
undespising adjective

Etymology

Origin of despise

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English despisen, from Old French despis-, stem of despire, from Latin dēspicere; despicable

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.

People either love the sitcom’s cartoonish flourishes or despise them.

From Salon

The gnomes announced death as they did anything else, with squeaking excitement, and that morning I despised the pudgy, waddling creatures more than ever.

From Literature

A third cousin, a gospel-of-success evangelical pastor played by Topher Grace, is easy to dislike but a bit more difficult to despise.

From The Wall Street Journal

They are notorious goons, despised virtually everywhere for their ability to agitate, aggrieve and annoy.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I know they think I’m a pliant little lapdog,” Martin tells Richard, “but I despise them as much as they despise the rest of us for not being them.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023