- despise
- verb
he despised weakness
Syn:detest, hate, loathe, abhor, execrate, deplore, dislike; scorn, disdain, look down on, deride, sneer at, revile; spurn, shun; formal abominate; archaic, or literary contemnAnt:adore••despise, abhor, contemn, detest, disdain, loathe, scornIt's one thing to dislike someone; it's quite another to despise or detest the person. Both are strong words, used to describe extreme dislike or hatred. Detest is probably the purest expression of hatred (she detested the woman who had raised her, and longed to find her own mother), while despise suggests looking down with great contempt and regarding the person as mean, petty, weak, or worthless (he despised men whose only concern was their own safety). Disdain carries even stronger connotations of superiority, often combined with self-righteousness (to disdain anyone lacking a college education). Scorn is a stronger word for disdain, and it implies an attitude of not only contempt but of haughty rejection or refusal (to scorn the woman he'd once loved). To loathe something is to feel utter disgust toward it (he grew to loathe peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and to abhor it is to feel a profound, shuddering, repugnance (she abhorred the very idea of asking her husband for the money). Contemn is a more literary word meaning to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt.
Thesaurus of popular words. 2014.