despise
[verb]
Synonyms: look down on, abhor, detest, loathe, revile, scorn

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Antonyms: appreciate, esteem
Contrasted words: apprize, cherish, prize, treasure, value, admire, regard, respect
Related Idioms: have no use for, look down one's nose at
Related Words: abominate, detest, execrate, hate, loathe, reject, repudiate, spurn, avoid, eschew, renounce, shun, disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, snub

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English Thesaurus: hate, can’t stand/can’t bear, loathe, detest, despise, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

de‧spise /dɪˈspaɪz/ verb [transitive not in progressive]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: despire, from Latin despicere 'to look down on', from specere 'to look']
to dislike and have a low opinion of someone or something:
She despised her neighbours.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

despise
verb
ADV. thoroughly | clearly | secretly He secretly despised his father.
openly
PREP. for She thoroughly despised him for his weakness.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hate verb [transitive not in progressive] to dislike someone or something very much:
Billy hated his stepfather.
He hated the fact that his wife was more successful than he was.
She hates people being late.
can’t stand/can’t bear to hate someone or something. Can’t stand is less formal than hate, and is very common in everyday English:
She’s OK, but I can’t stand her husband.
He couldn’t bear the thought of life without Nicole.
She can’t stand being on her own.
loathe /ləʊð $ loʊð/
detest verb [transitive not in progressive] to hate something or someone very much. Loathe and detest are a little more formal than hate:
He loathed housework.
Greg had detested his brother for as long as he could remember.
She evidently loathes her ex-husband.
despise verb [transitive not in progressive] to hate someone or something very much and have no respect for them:
He despised the man and could never forgive him for what he had done.
They despised the wealth and consumerism of the West.
abhor /əbˈhɔː $ əbˈhɔːr, æb-/ verb [transitive not in progressive] formal to hate something because you think it is morally wrong:
He abhorred violence.
We abhor racism in any form.
be full of hate/be filled with hate
People’s faces were full of hate.
a look of hate
He gave me a look of pure hate as I entered the room.
a message of hate
White nationalists are using the media to preach a message of hate.
sb’s eyes are burning/smouldering/blazing with hate literary
Then he noticed the dark eyes, smouldering with hate.
absolute/pure hate (=complete and total hate)
His speech was an expression of pure hate.
a hate figure (=someone who is hated by a lot of people)
After the incident, he became a hate figure in the British press.
hate mail (=letters or messages expressing hate and threats towards someone)
Since appearing on the show she has even received hate mail from the public.
hatred an angry feeling of deep dislike for someone or something:
his hatred of violence
It is easy to understand their hatred for the invaders of their country.
racial hatred (=of people who belong to a different race)
loathing a very strong feeling of hatred for someone or something that you think is extremely unpleasant:
I felt nothing but loathing for him after the way he’d treated me.
animosity a feeling of hatred and anger that often makes people behave unpleasantly to each other:
The animosity between parents who are getting a divorce can often cause great suffering to their children.
abhorrence formal a deep feeling of hatred towards something that you think is morally wrong or unpleasant:
the abhorrence of terrorism by all decent people
contempt a feeling of hate towards someone or something you think does not deserve any respect at all:
She looked at him with contempt.
I have nothing but contempt for these people.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲