Adjacent Words

Despise definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DESPISE, .v.t.
1. To contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have the lowest opinion of.
Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1.
Else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Matthew 6.
2. To abhor.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: look down on with disdain; "He despises the people he has to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately" [syn: contemn, despise, scorn, disdain]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (despised; despising) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French despis-, stem of despire, from Latin despicere, from de- + specere to look — more at spy Date: 14th century 1. to look down on with contempt or aversion <despised the weak> 2. to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful • despisement noun • despiser noun Synonyms: despise, contemn, scorn, disdain mean to regard as unworthy of one's notice or consideration. despise may suggest an emotional response ranging from strong dislike to loathing <despises cowards>. contemn implies a vehement condemnation of a person or thing as low, vile, feeble, or ignominious <contemns the image of women promoted by advertisers>. scorn implies a ready or indignant contempt <scorns the very thought of retirement>. disdain implies an arrogant or supercilious aversion to what is regarded as unworthy <disdained popular music>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. look down on as inferior, worthless, or contemptible. Derivatives: despiser n. Etymology: ME f. despis- pres. stem of OF despire f. L despicere (as DE-, specere look at)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Despise De*spise", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Despised; p. pr. & vb. n. Despising.] [OF. despis-, in some forms of despire to despise, fr. L. despicere, despectum, to look down upon, despise; de- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy, and cf. Despicable, Despite.] To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. --Prov. i. 7. Men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them. --Jowett (Thucyd. ). Syn: To contemn; scorn; disdain; slight; undervalue. See Contemn.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(despises, despising, despised) If you despise something or someone, you dislike them and have a very low opinion of them. I can never, ever forgive him. I despise him... VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Contemn, scorn, spurn, disdain, scout, slight, disregard, hold in contempt, look down upon.

Moby Thesaurus

abhor, abjure, abominate, avoid, be above, be contemptuous of, brush aside, care nothing for, chuck, chuck out, contemn, contradict, decline, deny, deride, detest, disapprove, discard, disclaim, discount, disdain, dismiss, disown, disparage, disprize, disregard, dump on, eschew, except, exclude, execrate, feel contempt for, feel superior to, flout, forswear, hate, hold beneath one, hold cheap, hold in contempt, hold in derision, ignore, insult, laugh at, laugh to scorn, loathe, look down upon, misprize, overlook, pass by, pass up, push aside, put down, rank low, rebuff, recant, refuse, refuse to consider, reject, renounce, repel, repudiate, repulse, ridicule, scoff at, scorn, scout, set at defiance, set at naught, shove away, shun, slight, slight over, sneer at, sneeze at, sniff at, snort at, snub, spurn, think nothing of, throw away, throw out, treat with contempt, turn away, turn out, waive