to regard with contempt, distaste, disgust, or disdain; scorn; loathe.
Origin
1250-1300;Middle Englishdespisen < Old Frenchdespis-, stem of despire < Latindēspicere; see despicable
Related forms
despisable, adjective
despisableness, noun
despiser, noun
despisingly, adverb
undespised, adjective
undespising, adjective
Synonyms
contemn, detest.
Antonyms
admire.
Examples from the web for despise
I'm sure it is unfair to misquote even those you despise.
Yet, the secular world appears to despise both the message and the messengers.
You become what you most despise.
The title story brings these themes together as a lonely widower remarries a woman his children despise.
Monkeys not only don't listen to our music, they seemed to despise it.
Generally, I despise reductionary thinking.
He would despise my poor understanding of Philosophy anyway.
They're not worrying about what comes next for a man they so clearly despise.
Unlike the policies you set for yourself, a country is inflexible, and people despise uncertainty.
But you never know, she herself might know about the murdering of cetaceans and might also despise the practice.
British Dictionary definitions for despise
despise
/dɪˈspaɪz/
verb
1.
(transitive) to look down on with contempt; scorn: he despises flattery
Derived Forms
despiser, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French despire, from Latin dēspicere to look down, from de- + specere to look
Word Origin and History for despise
v.
c.1300, from Old French despis-, present participle stem of despire "to despise," from Latin despicere "look down on, scorn," from de- "down" (see de-) + spicere/specere "look at" (see scope (n.1)). Related: Despised; despising.