ENGLISH
REFERENCE

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.


SIMPLE

He is a despicable liar.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager's despicable treatment of staff caused several resignations.

COMPLEX

History often remembers the despicable acts of tyrants long after their political power has faded into obscurity.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

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