Despicable — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

morally reprehensible

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɹˈɔːʃeɪv/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪspˈɪkəbəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪspˈɪkəbəl/

3 syllables Say it as /dɹˈɔːʃeɪv/.

Examples

would do something as despicable as murder
ugly crimes
the vile development of slavery appalled them

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

slimy worthless wretched ugly vile unworthy

Parts of Speech

adjective

morally reprehensible

“would do something as despicable as murder”

Word Forms

despicableness	noun	unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values
despicability	noun	unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values
ugliness	noun	the quality of being wicked
sliminess	noun	the quality of being disgusting to the senses or emotions
unworthiness	noun	the quality or state of lacking merit or value

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verabscheuungswürdig

moralisch verwerflich

🇫🇷French

méprisable

moralement répréhensible

🇪🇸Spanish

despreciable

moralmente reprobable

🇮🇹Italian

spregevole

moralmente riprovevole

🇳🇱Dutch

verachtelijk

moreel verwerpelijk

🇵🇹Portuguese

desprezível

moralmente repreensível

🇷🇺Russian

презренный

морально предосудительный

India

🇮🇳Hindi

नीच

नैतिक रूप से निंदनीय

🇧🇩Bengali

ঘৃণ্য

নৈতিকভাবে নিন্দনীয়

🇮🇳Tamil

இழிவான

தார்மீக ரீதியாக கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது

🇮🇳Telugu

తుచ్ఛమైనది

నైతికంగా ఖండించదగినది

🇮🇳Marathi

घृणास्पद

नैतिकदृष्ट्या निंदनीय

🇮🇳Gujarati

ધિક્કારપાત્ર

નૈતિક રીતે નિંદનીય

🇮🇳Kannada

ತುಚ್ಛವಾದ

ನೈತಿಕವಾಗಿ ಖಂಡನೀಯ

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിന്ദ്യമായ

ധാർമികമായി അപലപനീയം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਘਿਣਾਉਣੀ

ਨੈਤਿਕ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ ਨਿੰਦਣਯੋਗ

🇵🇰Urdu

حقیر

اخلاقی طور پر قابل مذمت

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

卑鄙

道德上应受谴责

🇯🇵Japanese

卑劣な

道徳的に非難されるべき

🇰🇷Korean

비열한

도덕적으로 비난받을 만한

🇻🇳Vietnamese

đáng khinh

đáng trách về mặt đạo đức

🇹🇭Thai

น่ารังเกียจ

น่าตำหนิทางศีลธรรม

🇮🇩Indonesian

tercela

tercela secara moral

🇵🇭Filipino

kasuklam-suklam

moral na pasaway

🇲🇾Malay

keji

tercela secara moral

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

حقير

مستهجن أخلاقيا

🇮🇷Persian

نفرت انگیز

از نظر اخلاقی مذموم

🇹🇷Turkish

aşağılık

ahlaki açıdan kınanması gereken

🇮🇱Hebrew

בָּזוּי

ראוי לגינוי מוסרית

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'despicable'?

The primary meaning of 'despicable' is 'morally reprehensible'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'despicable' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'despicable' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'despicable' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'despicable' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'despicable' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'despicable' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'despicable' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'despicable' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'despicable' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'despicable' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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