Standard Lemma guide

despicable

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /dɪˈspɪkəbəl/
  • /ˈdɛspɪkəbəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Jersey: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪkəbəl
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S P IH1 K AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Fit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vile, evil, mean, contemptible, obscene, wicked

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A wretched or wicked person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

morally reprehensible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • would do something as despicable as murder
  • ugly crimes
  • the vile development of slavery appalled them
  • a slimy little liar

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ugly, vile, slimy, unworthy, worthless, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: txarro — deserving to be despised
  • Belarusian: нікчэ́мны (nikčémny) — deserving to be despised
  • Bulgarian: презря́н (prezrján) — deserving to be despised
  • Bulgarian: жа́лък (žálǎk) — deserving to be despised
  • Catalan: menyspreable — deserving to be despised
  • Chinese Mandarin: 卑鄙 (bēibǐ) — deserving to be despised
  • Chinese Mandarin: 卑劣 (bēiliè) — deserving to be despised
  • Czech: opovrženíhodný — deserving to be despised
  • Danish: foragtelig — deserving to be despised
  • Dutch: verachtelijk — deserving to be despised
  • Dutch: verfoeilijk — deserving to be despised
  • Dutch: afschuwelijk — deserving to be despised
  • Esperanto: aĉa — deserving to be despised
  • Finnish: halveksittava — deserving to be despised
  • Finnish: kurja — deserving to be despised
  • French: abject — deserving to be despised
  • French: détestable — deserving to be despised
  • French: méprisable — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: ruin — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: cativo — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: gandalleiro — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: desprezabel — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: vedello — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: gorrovello — deserving to be despised
  • Galician: bafún — deserving to be despised
  • German: verachtenswert — deserving to be despised
  • German: gemein — deserving to be despised
  • German: niederträchtig — deserving to be despised
  • German: verabscheuungswürdig — deserving to be despised
  • German: widerwärtig — deserving to be despised
  • German: abscheulich — deserving to be despised
  • German: schnöde — deserving to be despised
  • Greek: αχρείος (achreíos) — deserving to be despised
  • Greek: ποταπός (potapós) — deserving to be despised
  • Greek: αχαρακτήριστος (acharaktíristos) — deserving to be despised
  • Hungarian: megvetendő — deserving to be despised
  • Hungarian: alávaló — deserving to be despised
  • Indonesian: tercela — deserving to be despised
  • Indonesian: hina — deserving to be despised
  • Indonesian: keji — deserving to be despised
  • Italian: spregevole — deserving to be despised
  • Italian: abietto — deserving to be despised
  • Italian: disprezzabile — deserving to be despised
  • Japanese: 卑しい (iyashii) — deserving to be despised
  • Japanese: 汚い (kitanai) — deserving to be despised
  • Japanese: 卑劣な (hiretsu na) — deserving to be despised
  • Latin: contemptus — deserving to be despised
  • Latvian: zemisks — deserving to be despised
  • Macedonian: пре́зирен (préziren) — deserving to be despised
  • Māori: kiripiro — deserving to be despised
  • Māori: whakarihariha — deserving to be despised
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avskyelig — deserving to be despised
  • Norwegian Bokmål: foraktelig — deserving to be despised
  • Persian: نفرت انگیز (nefrat-angiz) — deserving to be despised
  • Plautdietsch: niedatrajchtich — deserving to be despised
  • Polish: nikczemny — deserving to be despised
  • Portuguese: desprezível — deserving to be despised
  • Romanian: disprețuibil — deserving to be despised
  • Romanian: abject — deserving to be despised
  • Russian: презре́нный (prezrénnyj) — deserving to be despised
  • Russian: жа́лкий (žálkij) — deserving to be despised
  • Russian: никчёмный (nikčómnyj) — deserving to be despised
  • Spanish: desdeñable — deserving to be despised
  • Spanish: despreciable — deserving to be despised
  • Spanish: bajo — deserving to be despised
  • Spanish: rastrero — deserving to be despised
  • Spanish: deleznable — deserving to be despised
  • Spanish: ruin — deserving to be despised
  • Swedish: avskyvärd — deserving to be despised
  • Ottoman Turkish: آلچاق (alçak) — deserving to be despised
  • Ottoman Turkish: رذیل (rezil) — deserving to be despised
  • Ottoman Turkish: ذلیل (zelil) — deserving to be despised
  • Ukrainian: нікче́мний (nikčémnyj) — deserving to be despised
  • Vietnamese: đáng khinh — deserving to be despised