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Synonym Chooser

How is the word despicable different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of despicable are contemptible, pitiable, scurvy, and sorry. While all these words mean "arousing or deserving scorn," despicable may imply utter worthlessness and usually suggests arousing an attitude of moral indignation.

a despicable crime

When can contemptible be used instead of despicable?

The meanings of contemptible and despicable largely overlap; however, contemptible may imply any quality provoking scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

a contemptible liar

Where would pitiable be a reasonable alternative to despicable?

The words pitiable and despicable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pitiable applies to what inspires mixed contempt and pity.

a pitiable attempt at tragedy

How do scurvy and despicable relate to one another?

Scurvy adds to despicable an implication of arousing disgust.

a scurvy crew of hangers-on

When might sorry be a better fit than despicable?

The synonyms sorry and despicable are sometimes interchangeable, but sorry may stress pitiable inadequacy or may suggest wretchedness or sordidness.

this rattletrap is a sorry excuse for a car

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despicable This whole thing is despicable. Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025 That Hamas is so despicable or dangerous that its destruction is worth brutality. Seth Lavin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025 Continue reading … POLITICS AMERICA LAST – White House condemns 'despicable' comments from lawmakers at anti-US conference. FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025 Trump and his supporters prefer a happy history, a pleasant history that arouses patriotism by overlooking disagreeable people and despicable events that sully the nation’s reputation and mar the magnificence of the American story. William C. Hine, Twin Cities, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for despicable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despicable
Adjective
  • As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Over 1,000 murdered whilst queuing for aid, starved due to their siege, whilst pitiful amounts of aid delivered by a sham agency controlled by Israel.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • What's more, monsters like Alex Jones, the vile conspiracy theorist, claimed the shooting never happened and that the families of the victims were actors.
    Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • His motives seemed as vile as his actions.
    Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The end of that era came slowly, through the pathetic collapse of Syria and Lebanon as functioning states, and then quickly, when Israel began touching Hezbollah in unexpected places.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Want the poop on this pathetic history?
    Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Shootouts are lame in comparison.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
  • On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Sean Gardner/Getty Images This comes just weeks after Zilisch suffered a nasty fall from his car in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen, which resulted in a broken collarbone.
    Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Parents pushing, people cutting lines, nasty attitudes everywhere, especially outside and in Sephora.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But now, the King and the royal family have received very sad news that will change things going forward.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But that cheaper investment has largely been eviscerated, according to a cadre of sports bankers CNBC interviewed.
    Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Travelers can snag cheap flights to explore New York in September and October.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Ladapo said the decision was not reached according to the data, but instead on his view that vaccine mandates are immoral and outside the scope of the government’s authority.
    Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Even the paper’s biggest triumph—which, without giving too much away, brings it into direct conflict with its toilet-paper stablemate—involves a farcically immoral compromise that tramples the church-state divide between news and product sales (and, worse, isn’t all that funny).
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Despicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despicable. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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