1
as in hating
to dislike strongly
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disregarding
to ignore in a disrespectful manner
a traitor hated and despised by the whole community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despising
Haney reminded jurors that despising the rich isn’t a crime, much less an abnormal opinion.
—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
Larson’s son Lane, then 9, had grown up loving the Bulldogs and despising their rivals, and made his feelings clear.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Cruelty and corruption recognized no regional boundaries, and officials on both sides seem to have come closer to despising than sympathizing with their suffering captives.
—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
That’s not the case with Bertha’s son, Larry (Harry Richardson), who seems to have joined his father in absolutely despising Bertha by the end of the season.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2025
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
Larson’s son Lane, then 9, had grown up loving the Bulldogs and despising their rivals, and made his feelings clear.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Cruelty and corruption recognized no regional boundaries, and officials on both sides seem to have come closer to despising than sympathizing with their suffering captives.
—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
That’s not the case with Bertha’s son, Larry (Harry Richardson), who seems to have joined his father in absolutely despising Bertha by the end of the season.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despising
Verb
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Being mad at the rich or hating the rich is not a crime.
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The America 250-hating libs are SEETHING today.
Verb
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The video showed a car disregarding a stop sign and a patrol officer speeding up to pull the vehicle over.
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But the market might be disregarding risks and moving on more enthusiasm than reality, analysts noted.
Verb
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Two or three hours here can produce the increasingly rare sensation of temporarily forgetting about the internet.
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More and more, due to the collapsing weight of capitalism, writers are forgetting intention and trading it for publication—what sells, what’s hot, what’s trending.
Verb
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By 1845, Marx was scorning his colleagues for floating in the clouds.
Cite this Entry
“Despising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despising. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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