reprehensible
adjective
Did you know?
It may be easy to grasp that reprehensible is all about blame, but the word’s origins tell a grabbier story. The word comes from the Latin reprehendere (literally “to hold back”), a combination of re- and prehendere, meaning “to grasp.” Prehendere is at the root of other grasp-related words, among them apprehend, used when grabbing hold of bad guys, comprehend, used when it’s concepts that are grasped, and prehensile, used to describe anatomical features—for example, a monkey’s tail or an elephant’s trunk—that grasp especially by wrapping around. Grasp these words, and there’s nothing reprehensible about your grasp on this little corner of the English lexicon.
Examples of reprehensible in a Sentence
Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
All hate crimes are reprehensible.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
Repressed and lingering scars from childhood can certainly cause pain for entire communities and be a catalyst for terrible and reprehensible behaviors.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Free speech scholars maintain the most vile and reprehensible speech, including that which celebrates someone's death, is legally protected — not from the consequences meted by private employers, but from government suppression.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprehensible
Cite this Entry
“Reprehensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reprehensible. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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reprehensible
adjective
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