misanthrope

noun

mis·an·thrope ˈmi-sᵊn-ˌthrōp

Synonyms of misanthrope next

: a person who hates or distrusts humankind

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The essence of misanthrope might be understood in modern parlance as “haters gonna hate.” Adopted in the early 17th century from Greek misanthrōpos, “hating humankind,” (from misein, “to hate,” and anthrōpos, “human being”) its use was encouraged by French playwright Molière’s 1666 satiric comedy Le Misanthrope, which depicts a bitter critic of society who chooses exile over contact with other people. Misanthrope has a close relation in misanthropy, “a hatred or distrust of humankind,” which in turn has an opposite that, happily, is more common than either: philanthropy most often refers to the practice of giving time and money to help others; its Greek root means “loving humankind.” Philanthropes also exist, though they’re usually referred to as philanthropists.

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Misanthropes and Other Haters

Misanthrope comes from the Greek misanthrōpos “hating humankind” and was very likely popularized by the French playwright Moliere's Le Misanthrope, which depicts a bitter critic of society who chooses exile over contact with other people. In English, misanthrope (or its anglicized equivalent, misanthropist) has been applied to many a perceived antisocial crank, from satirist Jonathan Swift to philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to Charles Dicken’s character Ebenezer Scrooge. It is one of several English words beginning with mis- (from Greek misein "to hate") naming persons who despise something or someone. The most familiar example nowadays is misogynist, used of a person who hates women. Two lesser-known variations on the theme are misandrist “one who hates men” and misopedist “a person who hates children.”

Examples of misanthrope in a Sentence

Many members of the contemporary movie audience, only marginally socialized, would have made a misanthrope of Gandhi; they undermine every argument for intelligent design in the universe. —

James Morris, Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 2005

It is perhaps not the healthiest tendency for a man who is already if not a hermit at least a part-time misanthrope. —

Edmund White, Vanity Fair, September 1996

Rather she is the genuine article, a misanthrope so pure she can't understand "why solitary confinement is considered punishment." —

Lewis Burke Frumkes, New York Times Book Review, 10 May 1992

The young people thought him a gloomy misanthrope, because he never joined in their sports—the old men thought still more hardly of him, because he followed no trade, … —

Washington Irving, Salmagundi, November 24, 1807, in History, Tales, and Sketches, 1977

a former misanthrope who now professes a newly discovered love of mankind

Recent Examples on the Web The casual viewer of White’s work might mistake him for a misanthrope. —

Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2023 Its narrator, Sally Milz, is a misanthrope who has given up on the idea of romantic partnership. —

Washington Post Editors and Reviewers, Washington Post, 26 May 2023 To the side was a love triangle between a ditzy team publicist Keeley (Juno Temple) and two players, Jamie Tart (Phil Dunster), a Ken Doll, and Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), a misanthrope for the modern age. —

Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 31 May 2023 The decision to end the beloved sitcom about a group of New York misanthropes by putting them in jail for being bad Samaritans is now more than 20 years old, but age hasn't helped it. —

Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 25 May 2023 In other words, being a misanthrope is costly. —

Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2022 The latter half of the season doesn’t quite measure up to the show’s robust kickoff, especially as focus grows on Santiago (Rome Flynn), a Darcy-esque misanthrope whose terminally ill mother is a patient of Sol’s, and his father (the always great Andre Royo). —

Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021 Even a misanthrope like me can recognize this. —

Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Sep. 2012 Within the field of nature writing, Matthiessen works primarily in the tradition of the spiritual pilgrim, while Tesson writes in the tradition of the disgruntled misanthrope. —

Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 5 July 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misanthrope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.