Despise — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

look down on with disdain

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɹˈeɪzəl/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪspˈaɪz/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪspˈaɪz/

2 syllables Say it as /dɹˈeɪzəl/.

Examples

He despises the people he has to work for
The professor scorns the students who don't catch on immediately

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

disdain scorn contemn

Parts of Speech

verb	look down on with disdain “He despises the people he has to work for”

Word Forms

despising	noun	a feeling of scornful hatred
despisal	noun	a feeling of scornful hatred
scorn	noun	open disrespect for a person or thing
scorner	noun	a person who expresses contempt by remarks or facial expression
disdain	noun	lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verachten

schaue mit Verachtung herab

🇫🇷French

mépriser

mépriser avec dédain

🇪🇸Spanish

despreciar

mirar hacia abajo con desdén

🇮🇹Italian

disprezzare

guardare dall'alto in basso con disprezzo

🇳🇱Dutch

verachten

kijk met minachting neer

🇵🇹Portuguese

desprezar

olhar para baixo com desdém

🇷🇺Russian

презирать

смотреть свысока с презрением

India

🇮🇳Hindi

घृणा

तिरस्कार की दृष्टि से देखना

🇧🇩Bengali

তুচ্ছ করা

অবজ্ঞার সাথে তাকান

🇮🇳Tamil

வெறுக்கிறார்கள்

அலட்சியத்துடன் பார்க்கவும்

🇮🇳Telugu

తృణీకరించు

చిన్నచూపు చూడు

🇮🇳Marathi

तिरस्कार

तिरस्काराने पहा

🇮🇳Gujarati

તિરસ્કાર

તિરસ્કાર સાથે જુઓ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಧಿಕ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ

ತಿರಸ್ಕಾರದಿಂದ ನೋಡು

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിന്ദിക്കുക

അവജ്ഞയോടെ നോക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਨਫ਼ਰਤ

ਨਫ਼ਰਤ ਨਾਲ ਦੇਖੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

حقارت

حقارت سے دیکھو

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

鄙视

🇯🇵Japanese

軽蔑する

軽蔑の目で見下す

🇰🇷Korean

경멸하다

경멸하며 내려다보다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

coi thường

nhìn xuống với vẻ khinh thường

🇹🇭Thai

ชัง

ดูถูกเหยียดหยาม

🇮🇩Indonesian

membenci

memandang rendah dengan jijik

🇵🇭Filipino

hamakin

mababa ang tingin sa may paghamak

🇲🇾Malay

menghina

memandang rendah dengan hina

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يحتقر

ننظر بازدراء

🇮🇷Persian

تحقیر کردن

با تحقیر به پایین نگاه کن

🇹🇷Turkish

küçümsemek

küçümseyerek bakmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לָבוּז

להסתכל מלמעלה בזלזול

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'despise'?

The primary meaning of 'despise' is 'look down on with disdain'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'despise' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'despise' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'despise' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'despise' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'despise' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Do you find 'despise' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

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In your opinion, does the word 'despise' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'despise' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'despise' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'despise' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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