despicable

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /dɪˈspɪkəbəl/ UK /dɪˈspɪkəbəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
deserving hatred and contempt; vile

Betraying a friend like that was a despicable act.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · deserving hatred and... contemptible detestable vile loathsome base odious mean

Opposites

admirable honorable praiseworthy noble

Word family

Forms despicably

Derived forms despicablydespicablenessdespicability

Related forms despise despect spectacle

Etymology

From Late Latin despicabilis, from Latin despicari ('to despise, look down on'), from de- ('down') + specere ('to look').

despicari Latin specere Latin *spek- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

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# despicable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈspɪkəbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈspɪkəbəl/

## Meanings
1. deserving hatred and contempt; vile

## Examples
- Betraying a friend like that was a despicable act.

## Synonyms
- contemptible
- detestable
- vile
- loathsome
- base
- odious
- mean

## Antonyms
- admirable
- honorable
- praiseworthy
- noble

## Derived Forms
- despicably
- despicableness
- despicability

## Related Forms
- despise
- despect
- spectacle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: despicari
- Root: specere
- Root: *spek-

## Etymology
From Late Latin despicabilis, from Latin despicari ('to despise, look down on'), from de- ('down') + specere ('to look').

## AI Etymology
Despicable comes from Late Latin despicabilis, from Latin despicari ('to despise, look down on'), from de- ('down') + specere ('to look'). The historical trail runs through Latin despicari, Latin specere and Proto-Indo-European *spek-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means deserving hatred and contempt; vile. Derived formations include despicably, despicableness, despicability; related forms include despise, despect, spectacle.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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despicable

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