as in disdain
open dislike for someone or something considered unworthy of one's concern or respect
the undisguised despitefulness with which the fashion designer announces his "10 worst" list
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despitefulness
Noun
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The disdain there is more visceral because of a 2017 incident in which Machado slid hard past the bag and had his spike collide with the calf of beloved second baseman Dustin Pedroia.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026 -
His first target of hatred and disdain?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The committee previously held Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to the same Epstein investigation.—
Stephen Groves,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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For his followers, blaspheming the Holocaust and celebrating Hitler became a way to signal contempt for the political religion of postwar liberalism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Gracie’s discovery is squelched and this character’s value to the play comes in establishing how institutional silence can have an equally pernicious impact on confronting social hatreds.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
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There is nothing quite like the theater and hatred that comes when the Penguins and Flyers share a sheet of ice.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Despitefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despitefulness. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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