despise
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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.
It’s also difficult to gauge how many of Iran’s 93 million people despise the government enough to rise up against it.
From Los Angeles Times
Hamilton despised those with “no principle but to get money.”
From Barron's
Hamilton despised those with “no principle but to get money.”
From Barron's
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
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.
