despisement

noun

Definition of despisementnext
as in disdain
open dislike for someone or something considered unworthy of one's concern or respect an expression of total despisement for the "unwashed masses"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despisement
  1. disdain
  2. contempt
  3. hatred
Noun
  • At this point, the widespread disdain shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 2 July 2026
  • But more than using any specific set of policies as a litmus test, Democratic voters appear drawn to the candidates who most radiate disdain for the status quo.
    — Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Definition of disdain
Noun
  • Rochester’s degree of contempt for these people speaks in the concision itself.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • That's bad enough, but Nyong'o made some public comments this week during the film's promotional campaign that once again demonstrated her contempt for the source material.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of contempt
Noun
  • The rivalry between the neighboring nations stretches back over 100 years on the pitch without ever being one that has slipped into hatred.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Proof that the babies aren’t born with hatred in their bellies and in their blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of hatred
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.

Browse Nearby Words

despised
despisement
despises
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Despisement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despisement. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All