despicable

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English

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Etymology

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From Late Latin dēspicābilis, from Latin dēspicor, a variant of dēspiciō (I despise), from de (down) + speciō (I look at, behold). First attested in the 1550s.[1] Equivalent to despise +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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despicable (comparative more despicable, superlative most despicable)

  1. Fit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean.
    Synonyms: vile, evil, mean, contemptible
    • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 234:
      The physical penis is consumed by despicable fish, animals of the turgid depths, but the higher phallus, the image of resurrection through the goddess, is fashioned as a sacred icon.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Translations

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Noun

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despicable (plural despicables)

  1. A wretched or wicked person.
    • 2004, Wayne Campbell Kannaday, Apologetic Discourse and the Scribal Tradition:
      Robbers assemble other robbers for the purpose of robbery; but Christians gather thieves, bandits, and other despicables for the purpose of spiritual transformation.

References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “despicable”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.