despicable
- 01 C1 Advanced
adj.describing an action or person that is so bad or cruel that they deserve to be hated.
adj.deserving of contempt or intense moral disapproval; extremely unpleasant or evil.
Simple“Stealing money from a charity is a despicable act that hurts many people.”
In context“The dictator's treatment of political prisoners was widely condemned as a despicable violation of basic human rights.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a person who is very bad or cruel.
n.a person who is considered wretched, wicked, or deserving of contempt.
Simple“In the old story, the despicable was finally caught and punished for his crimes.”
In context“The protagonist found himself surrounded by despicables who cared for nothing but their own greed and survival.”
UsageThis noun use is rare in modern English; the word is almost exclusively used as an adjective today.
“President Volodymyr Zelensky said the "absolutely cynical and despicable" daytime attack in his home town was carried out in "two waves", with the second strike targeting emergency workers.”
“Russian drones have slammed into a busy shopping centre in central Ukraine, killing 16 people in an attack that Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as “cynical and despicable”.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.