despise
English · Thesaurus
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despise
- /dɪˈspaɪz/
Rhymes with -aɪz
Where it comes from
From Middle English despisen, from Old French despis-, stem of despire, from Latin dēspicere (“to look down upon, despise, scorn”), from dē (“down”) + speciō (“to look at”). Displaced native Old English forsēon.
verb despises · despising · despised · dispise
-
To regard with contempt or scorn.
Near-synonym: hate
Similar: contemn, disdain, scorn, hate · Opposite: admire, cherish, honor, respect, treasure, esteem, idolize, lay store by, look up to, prize, hallow, put store by
-
To disregard or ignore.
Similar: discount, misregard, take no notice of, brush off, disregard, dissemble, despise, ignore, misheed, neglect, pass, pass by
Similar: contemn, despect, disrespect, despise, disdain, disesteem, look down on, misrespect, scorn, spurn · Opposite: admire, appreciate, cherish, esteem, respect, revere, value, treasure, to worship
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: disdain, scorn, contemn, hate, detest, loathe, flout, disregard, defy, overlook, haten, abhor, deride, disparage, vilify, slight
verb
Similar: contemn, despect, disrespect, despise, disdain, disesteem, look down on, misrespect, scorn, spurn · Opposite: admire, appreciate, cherish, esteem, respect, revere, value, treasure, to worship
Translations
Every language
verb to regard with contempt or scorn
| Español | despreciar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 경멸하다 gyeongmyeol-hada, 멸시하다 myeolsi-hada |
| 日本語 | 蔑む sagesumu, 見下す mikudasu, 軽蔑する keibetsu suru, 嫌悪する ken'o suru |
| 中文 | 鄙薄 bǐbó, 鄙夷 bǐyí, 蔑視 /蔑视 mièshì, 藐視 /藐视 miǎoshì, 輕視 /轻视 qīngshì |
| हिन्दी | उपेक्षा करना upekṣā karnā |
| Kiswahili | dharau |
| Português | desprezar |
| Français | mépriser, dédaigner |
| Deutsch | verachten |
| Italiano | disprezzare |
| Română | disprețui |
| Русский | презира́ть prezirátʹ, презре́ть prezrétʹ |
| العربية | اِحْتَقَرَ iḥtaqara, أَهَانَ ʔahāna |
verb to disregard or ignore
| Español | desatender, desoír |
|---|---|
| Русский | пренебрегать prenebregatʹ |
Talk about this word "despise." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/despise. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. despise. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/despise "despise." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/despise.Cite this
@misc{despise_2026,
title = {despise},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/despise},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
