despicable
adj. C1 Advanced US //dɪˈspɪkəbəɫ// UK //dɪspˈɪkəbəl// de·spi·ca·ble
adj. deserving strong dislike or contempt. You use this word when someone's behavior is very bad or morally wrong.
adj. deserving strong dislike, contempt, or moral condemnation. Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb.
He is a despicable liar.
The manager's despicable treatment of staff caused several resignations.
History often remembers the despicable acts of tyrants long after their political power has faded into obscurity.
From Late Latin dēspicābilis, from Latin dēspicor, a variant of dēspiciō (“to despise”), from de (“down”) + speciō (“to look at, behold”). First attested in the 1550s. Equivalent to despise + -able.
- Verbdespise
- Adjectivedespicable