despised; despising
1
: to look down on with disrespect or aversion
despised the weak
2
: to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful
despises organized religion
Examples of despise in a Sentence
He and Julie grooved to Cuban son and jazz on NPR and loved arty films, for instance; and they distrusted big business and despised tract houses, malls, and other aesthetically unpleasing byproducts of a consumer society.
—
Brian C. Anderson, National Review, 13 Mar. 2006
She was despised as a hypocrite.
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Brian C. Anderson, National Review, 13 Mar. 2006
She was despised as a hypocrite.
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Recent Examples on the Web
Both brothers despise their father, for good reason.
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
The fact that the film is named after its subject’s most beloved — and most despised by Hart himself — hit tells you everything.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Really loved, obsessively loved and despised by every critic.
—Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
His pushback against an effort to overhaul capital requirements earned him praise from Washington allies of the banking industry, which despised that proposal.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despise
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Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
The fact that the film is named after its subject’s most beloved — and most despised by Hart himself — hit tells you everything.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Really loved, obsessively loved and despised by every critic.
—Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
His pushback against an effort to overhaul capital requirements earned him praise from Washington allies of the banking industry, which despised that proposal.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despise
Cite this Entry
“Despise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/despise. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
despise
verb
de·spise
di-ˈspīz 
despised; despising
: to consider as beneath one's notice or respect : feel scorn and dislike for
despiser
noun
despisingly
adverb
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