1
as in hating
to dislike strongly
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disregarding
to ignore in a disrespectful manner
a traitor hated and despised by the whole community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despising
Larson’s son Lane, then 9, had grown up loving the Bulldogs and despising their rivals, and made his feelings clear.
—
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2026
Cruelty and corruption recognized no regional boundaries, and officials on both sides seem to have come closer to despising than sympathizing with their suffering captives.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
That’s not the case with Bertha’s son, Larry (Harry Richardson), who seems to have joined his father in absolutely despising Bertha by the end of the season.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2026
Cruelty and corruption recognized no regional boundaries, and officials on both sides seem to have come closer to despising than sympathizing with their suffering captives.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
That’s not the case with Bertha’s son, Larry (Harry Richardson), who seems to have joined his father in absolutely despising Bertha by the end of the season.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despising
Verb
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My mom is notorious for being a sweets lover but hating to bake.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
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Playing the no-nonsense musical-hating science guy leaves the expansive star of Beetlejuice, School of Rock and Spamalot with too few enjoyments to share, too few moments of comic stage business, and certainly not enough songs to belt.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The indictment also accuses Comey of disregarding a substantial risk that his post would be viewed as threatening violence.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Disable my adblockerContinue without disabling Contact support|We're using Arizona, though, was undaunted in taking Notre Dame’s Love third overall Thursday, and disregarding conventional wisdom that quality running backs can be plucked much later, and at much lower cost, in the draft.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The bank wants her descendants to stop forgetting it.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Kudrow, who starred as the free-spirited Phoebe Buffay, said the writers reprimanded the cast for forgetting lines and spent their off-hours fantasizing about her female co-stars.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By 1845, Marx was scorning his colleagues for floating in the clouds.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despising. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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