despicable

CEFRB2

/dɪˈspɪkəbəl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Very bad or cruel and deserving strong dislike.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    A wretched or wicked person.

Examples

  • I am ashamed of your despicable deed.

  • Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Fit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean.

More examples

In context

  • Robbers assemble other robbers for the purpose of robbery; but Christians gather thieves, bandits, and other despicables for the purpose of spiritual transformation.

  • 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

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank act of stealing from a charity shocked the entire community.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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.