despicable

(dĭ-spĭk'ə-bəl, dĕs'pĭ-kə-)
adj.
Deserving of contempt or scorn; vile.

[Late Latin dēspicābilis, from Latin dēspicārī, to despise.]

despicableness de·spic'a·ble·ness n.
despicably de·spic'a·bly adv.

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Pundits and usage gurus since Fowler (1926) have been urging us to pronounce despicable with the stress on the first syllable, but unsurprisingly usage has swung in favour of a more comfortable pattern with the stress on the second syllable.

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You got that right, Mel. When Mel Gibson sobered up after having been arrested on DUI charges, he termed his own reaction to the event "despicable" — worthy of being despised. His response reportedly included anti-Semitic comments and threats against the arresting officer:

"'I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable,' Gibson said."

Link: FOXNews.com - Mel Gibson Apologizes for DUI, 'Despicable' Statements

Posted July 31, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

adjective

So objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation: abhorrent, abominable, antipathetic, contemptible, despisable, detestable, disgusting, filthy, foul, infamous, loathsome, lousy, low, mean, nasty, nefarious, obnoxious, odious, repugnant, rotten, shabby, vile, wretched. See good/bad.

adj

Definition: hateful; beyond contempt
Antonyms: desirous, honorable, likeable, loveable, respectable, virtuous, worthy

For a list of words related to despicable, see:

• Bad, False, Evil, Insincere, or Dishonest

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Despicable.

Common misspelling(s) of despicable

• dispicable

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ussel

Nederlands (Dutch)
verachtelijk

Français (French)
adj. - méprisable, ignoble, abject

Deutsch (German)
adj. - verachtenswert

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αηδής, αξιοκαταφρόνητος, άθλιος, ελεεινός

Italiano (Italian)
disprezzabile

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - desprezível

Русский (Russian)
презренный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - despreciable, desdeñable

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - ömklig, usel

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
可鄙的, 卑劣的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 可鄙的, 卑劣的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 비열한, 비난할 만한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 卑しむべき, 卑劣な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) دنئ, خسيس, حقير‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮נבזה, נבזי‬

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