as in disliked
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in hated
to dislike strongly
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disregarded
to ignore in a disrespectful manner
a traitor hated and despised by the whole community
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Recent Examples of despised
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026
For most households, cleaning the oven is a despised chore.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Before public opinion turned against the war, Ali was likely the most despised man in America.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026
The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq is listed as a terrorist organization by Iran and is widely despised inside the country.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
There was appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity, as well as the wisdom and words, that Holtz provided to them during their lives, but it was muddied by his support of a political figure so many passionately opposed, and/or despised.
—Mac Engel
march 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
Justifying Díaz-Canel’s removal, a figure long despised among Cubans on the island, might not be that difficult, given Havana’s long history in getting rid of members of the government deemed disloyal, corrupt or incompetent.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
Ann Godoff, the founder of Penguin Press and the editor of Ron Chernow, Zadie Smith, Salman Rushdie, and Thomas Pynchon, would have despised this obituary.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Liberal Democrats who despised Daley as a corrupt big-city boss hailed Jackson as a hero.
—Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
An unofficial list provided by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council includes a number of aggressive plants that are widely despised by gardeners, such as Norway maple, Oriental bittersweet, Tree of Heaven, autumn olive, garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 26 Jan. 2026
Its author, Sadeq Hedayat, loved Iran deeply, but despised what the country had become under Islamic leadership.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
This is a despised company right now.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026
For most households, cleaning the oven is a despised chore.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Before public opinion turned against the war, Ali was likely the most despised man in America.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
Iowans despised slavery, treasured 'radical experiment' Thirteen Iowans died and 141 were wounded in the rout of the Union forces at Wilson's Creek.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026
The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq is listed as a terrorist organization by Iran and is widely despised inside the country.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
There was appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity, as well as the wisdom and words, that Holtz provided to them during their lives, but it was muddied by his support of a political figure so many passionately opposed, and/or despised.
—Mac Engel
march 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
Justifying Díaz-Canel’s removal, a figure long despised among Cubans on the island, might not be that difficult, given Havana’s long history in getting rid of members of the government deemed disloyal, corrupt or incompetent.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
Ann Godoff, the founder of Penguin Press and the editor of Ron Chernow, Zadie Smith, Salman Rushdie, and Thomas Pynchon, would have despised this obituary.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Liberal Democrats who despised Daley as a corrupt big-city boss hailed Jackson as a hero.
—Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
An unofficial list provided by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council includes a number of aggressive plants that are widely despised by gardeners, such as Norway maple, Oriental bittersweet, Tree of Heaven, autumn olive, garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 26 Jan. 2026
Its author, Sadeq Hedayat, loved Iran deeply, but despised what the country had become under Islamic leadership.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despised
Adjective
-
The British prime minister is only marginally less disliked by Britons, with his net favorability of minus 48 one of the worst since YouGov started tracking this metric in the 1970s.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The 1991 Gulf War was a stunning victory for the United States military, which has colored its assumptions about what conventional war—as opposed to counterinsurgency, a mission unwanted and disliked—should look like.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then came the party-line Inflation Reduction Act, which capped insulin for Medicare recipients at $35 but also included clean energy funding and tax changes that Republicans hated.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Grenier’s character, Nate, was largely hated in online circles for being a flaky, unsupportive boyfriend to Andy during her turbulent time working at Runway Magazine.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Under that model, traditional insurance is disregarded and patients instead pay a monthly fee for access to low-cost health care.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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After OpenAI published some of the terms of the contract on Saturday, many outside observers immediately questioned how the redlines on autonomous weapons and mass surveillance would actually be upheld, with some saying the language would still allow the safeguards to be disregarded.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Brenda's right to call it out, and Mac’s 'Brenda scorned' joke was the perfect touch of humor to a stressful situation.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The truth is, Billy came onto the scene in the first season as somebody who felt scorned and betrayed by a big PR firm, who passed him over for a promotion.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despised. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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