1
as in to hate
to dislike strongly
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despise
Many still despise the president.
—
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 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
Overall, the YouGov poll shows that the British public continues to despise Musk’s platform, with 65 percent holding a negative view of X, and only 12 percent holding a positive one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 14 Jan. 2026
Some people just despise winter.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for despise
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 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
Overall, the YouGov poll shows that the British public continues to despise Musk’s platform, with 65 percent holding a negative view of X, and only 12 percent holding a positive one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 14 Jan. 2026
Some people just despise winter.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for despise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despise
Verb
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We should all be so hated by Hollywood!—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
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Even though the audience hated it, Susan and I loved it.—
Jeremy Helligar,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Reynolds and others also complained that commissioners disregarded previous wetland-restoration work that Kelly performed on the site.—
Jenny Staletovich,
Miami Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
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Advising a homeowners association used to occasionally be very stressful, especially when directors would argue with me or a board would disregard my advice.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Williams then instinctively delivered the prototypical football celebration – a headbutt – but completely forgot that his head coach no longer wears a helmet.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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Do not forget Chelsea accrued in excess of £84m from winning the Club World Cup and have already brought in another £80m by progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League, with the possibility of more to come.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despise. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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