Despicable Meaning
/dɪˈspɪkəbəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjFit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean.
nounA wretched or wicked person.
Sentence Examples
I am ashamed of your despicable deed.
Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ act of stealing from a charity shocked the entire community.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I am ashamed of your ____ deed.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 234:
"Robbers assemble other robbers for the purpose of robbery; but Christians gather thieves, bandits, and other despicables for the purpose of spiritual transformation."
— 2004, Wayne Campbell Kannaday, Apologetic Discourse and the Scribal Tradition:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ act of stealing from a charity shocked the entire community.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I am ashamed of your ____ deed.