1
as in hating
to dislike strongly
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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.
Recent Examples of despising
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
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
-
That title goes to the government of messianic zealots, Arab-hating nationalists and anti-modern ultra-Orthodox Israelis put together by Netanyahu to keep himself in power.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
BrickHeadz are a little divisive, with Lego fans either loving or hating them.—
Kim Snaith,
Space.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lawrence confirmed to Deadline that the revival picks up as if the original series ended with the Season 8 finale, disregarding the events in the spinoff-style Season 9.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2026
-
At Monday’s meeting, Blowers noted the benefits of the devices, as well as their potential safety issues — like individuals operating the equipment in an unsafe manner, riding too close to pedestrians or in congested areas on sidewalks and disregarding traffic control devices.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The father, Reuben, makes fairly minor child-care mistakes, such as forgetting to thaw out breast milk.—
Eric Magnuson,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
-
If he was found in breach of his contract after forgetting lines or behaving inappropriately, it could be argued that his poor performance was the cause of that breach.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
By 1845, Marx was scorning his colleagues for floating in the clouds.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despising. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
