DESPISING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

despising

verb

present participle of despise

as in hating

to dislike strongly I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disregarding

to ignore in a disrespectful manner a traitor hated and despised by the whole community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of despising Haney reminded jurors that despising the rich isn’t a crime, much less an abnormal opinion. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026 Larson’s son Lane, then 9, had grown up loving the Bulldogs and despising their rivals, and made his feelings clear. — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2026 In a classic enemies-to-lovers plot, Sully and Helen go from despising one another to falling head over heels. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026 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 Cruelty and corruption recognized no regional boundaries, and officials on both sides seem to have come closer to despising than sympathizing with their suffering captives. — Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despising

Verb

Being mad at the rich or hating the rich is not a crime.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
The America 250-hating libs are SEETHING today.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026

Definition of hating

Verb

For the next several months, Zaayer continued harassing both Shawna's family and the police by shouting at their grandchild, disregarding property lines and recording them and making false claims on social media, per The Guardian.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
From Montesquieu’s perspective, polarization worsens this appetite for disregarding constitutional norms.

— Robert A. Ballingall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026

Definition of disregarding

Verb

But Alito’s stance against birthright citizenship goes beyond just forgetting his roots.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
For any leader overseeing transformational change, the challenge is figuring out how to fix one part of the company without forgetting about the other parts.

— Tracy Nolan, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of forgetting

Browse Nearby Words

despises

despising

despite

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Despising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despising. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of despising

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on despising

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perfunctory

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes