despicable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- despicability noun
- despicableness noun
- despicably adverb
Etymology
Origin of despicable
1545–55; < Late Latin dēspicābilis, equivalent to Latin dēspic ( ārī ) to despise or dēspic ( ere ) to look down ( dē- de- + -spic- look, combining form of specere ) + -ābilis -able
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Cesar Chavez the man did something horrible, something despicable, something that we’re not going to justify,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
Amy Madigan’s gut-wrenching turn in “Weapons” as the despicable, bewigged witch Aunt Gladys became impossible for the Academy to ignore, largely thanks to the amount of hype surrounding Madigan’s character.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
The families called for "those past and present who have presided over this despicable incompetence" to be held to account and stripped of their pensions accrued during their time at the hospital.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
It was a "despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre", she said in a statement.
From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026
The theater troupe laughed, and a few of them applauded as if Count Olaf had done something very brave instead of something despicable.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
