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
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
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
-
Perpetrators of this attack weren’t born hating Muslims.—
Zainab Chaudry,
Baltimore Sun,
22 May 2026
-
There’s some really funny stuff in the script about Diamond hating Waymo and TikTok.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Our findings also imply that disregarding venture initiatives can be risky.—
Serguei Netessine,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
-
Bolton, 67, was charged with one felony count of mutilation of election material and one misdemeanor count of disregarding election code, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
My answer is that the alternative — silence, forgetting, the regime’s preferred outcome — is worse.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
Fifteen years after the end of her time in Sonic Youth, Play Me represents an artist again taking chances while soaring confidently into a new era, not forgetting the past but living fully within her ongoing evolution.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
1 June 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 6 Jun. 2026.
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