1
as in to hate
to dislike strongly
I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despise
This absence — of God, of love, of plain community spirit — is a metaphor for the whole parish, where everyone is defined by their own lacks and deficiencies, the weaknesses that cause Wicks to despise them and vow to bring down them all.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Williams, a 77-year-old Alaskan Athabascan Indian who has lived in East Oakland since the early 1970s, finds plenty of reasons to despise the artwork, the most visceral being its nudity.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Many people fear them, attack them, or despise them.
—Anna Tunkova, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for despise
Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Williams, a 77-year-old Alaskan Athabascan Indian who has lived in East Oakland since the early 1970s, finds plenty of reasons to despise the artwork, the most visceral being its nudity.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Many people fear them, attack them, or despise them.
—Anna Tunkova, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for despise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despise
Verb
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Now, the goalposts have been moved again, reinforcing that the entire game now is just the endless pursuit of a light level, something fans have hated so much in Destiny it was reduced or even removed in the past.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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In fact, it is made the show less funny, less interesting, and symptomatic of a larger trend where the award show hates itself for no particular reason.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The potential adverse consequences to entrepreneurs when well-being is disregarded are well-documented.—
Samantha Dewalt,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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However, protestors have disregarded the curfews, as did those in Kathmandu on Monday.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Critics are waxing nostalgic for the edgy and outrageous comments of social critic humorists such as Dick Gregory, Mort Sahl, George Carlin, and Don Imus, forgetting that none of those figures were ever the host of a broadcast network TV show.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
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And don't forget to follow Allure on Instagram and TikTok—or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all things beauty.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despise. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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