1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
even within the prison population, pedophiles are regarded as particularly despicable
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
the cad's despicable behavior toward women
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
a despicable attempt at making a movie comedy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despicable
Foster, who was so good as Henry Haft in another brutal boxing story The Survivor, here is on the other side playing a despicable man who fortunately now in real life is in prison.
—
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
But between the individual Smurfs, the deliciously despicable Gargamel, and his equally evil cat Azrael, the series kept the kids coming back for nine seasons, creating enough fond memories to turn the Smurfs into a film franchise three decades later.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
What the rest of the MacKenzies don’t know, however, is that Ellen, in the midst of her grief, has fallen head over heels for Brian, the illegitimate son of the despicable Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) and a member of a rival clan.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Putin and Baranov, his advisor, are despicable characters.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despicable
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
But between the individual Smurfs, the deliciously despicable Gargamel, and his equally evil cat Azrael, the series kept the kids coming back for nine seasons, creating enough fond memories to turn the Smurfs into a film franchise three decades later.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
What the rest of the MacKenzies don’t know, however, is that Ellen, in the midst of her grief, has fallen head over heels for Brian, the illegitimate son of the despicable Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) and a member of a rival clan.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Putin and Baranov, his advisor, are despicable characters.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despicable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despicable
Adjective
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The Browns have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL, ahead of only the pitiful Tennessee Titans.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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On the side of the highway, Wilson cuts a pitiful, solitary figure.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the season’s back half, neither its overloading of vile desecrations nor maudlin sentimentality adds anything that Monster hadn’t already established four episodes ago.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
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Koch’s vile conduct spawns a number of unnecessary fantasy sequences either brought on by the comics or wholly imagined by Ed.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And Craig Waterman, the marketing executive from the 2024 film Friendship, took Robinson into new territory with a darker and more pathetic take on the same neurotic type.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
13 Oct. 2025
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In his brightest moments, Mike is boyishly gentle, a little wacky, and modestly proud — all in ways that Dillane manages to make feel both pathetic and delightful.—
Beatrice Loayza,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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My only complaint is that the light blue stripes on the arm look printed, not stitched, which is kinda lame.—
The Athletic NHL Staff,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Removing Stains From Wood Cabinets Food, beverages, and dirty hands can leave nasty stains behind, even after cleaning.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 Oct. 2025
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The overriding question should be will the Texas line figure out how to protect QB Arch Manning from OU’s nasty front four?—
Matt Hayes,
USA TODAY,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Steve's wife, Chelsey Bridges, announced the sad news on Friday in a video shared to her late husband's social pages.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
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This admission seemed sad—critics are supposed to take pride in withstanding disagreement.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As the world searches for alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, researchers are turning to materials that are safer, cheaper, and easier to source.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Financial sacrifices, dilemmas loom Norfolk military families said the shutdown had heightened the stakes of their financial choices, from comparison-shopping for the cheapest toilet paper to frequenting Costco to buy in bulk.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Unlike previous seasons, Dorothy never makes immoral choices.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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This is disgraceful and immoral.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despicable. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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