Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Despicable |
DespicableAdjective1. Worthy only of being despised and rejected; "a contemptible lack of courage"; "A little, wretched, despicable creature, a worm, a mere nothing...that has risen up in contempt against the majesty of Heaven and earth"- Jonathan Edwards. 2. Morally reprehensible; "would do something as despicable as murder"; "ugly crimes"; "the vile development of slavery appalled them". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "despicable" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
Etymology: Despicable \Des"pi*ca*ble\, adjective. [Latin expression despicabilis, from despicari to despise; akin to despicere. See Despise.]. (references) |
Synonyms: DespicableSynonyms: contemptible (adj), ugly (adj), unworthy (adj), vile (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Contempt | Contemptible, despicable; pitiable; pitiful; (unimportant); despised;Verb: downtrodden; unenvied. |
Disrepute | Shameful; disgraceful, discreditable, disreputable; despicable; questionable; unbecoming, unworthy; derogatory; degrading, humiliating, infra dignitatem, dedecorous; scandalous, infamous, too bad, unmentionable; ribald, opprobrious; errant, shocking, outrageous, notorious. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Despicable |
| English words defined with "despicable": basely, bum ♦ caitiff, contemptible, crumb, cur ♦ despicably, Despisable, dirty ♦ filthy, Fouter, Fouty ♦ lousy, lowlife ♦ meanly ♦ puke ♦ rat, rotter ♦ scum bag, scurvily, shabby, skunk, so-and-so, stinker, stinkpot ♦ ugly, unworthy ♦ vile. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I've worked with a lot of wisequackers, but you are despicable! (Who Framed Roger Rabbit; writing credit: Gary K. Wolf; Jeffrey Price) I think you are despicable, greedy, grasping, and wholly without principle or pity (Herbie Rides Again; writing credit: Gordon Buford; Bill Walsh) I know it's wrong because it makes me feel despicable. (Far from Heaven; writing credit: Todd Haynes) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Despicable Dames (1986) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Joseph Joubert | Ambition is pitiless. Any merit that it cannot use it finds despicable. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | This did not appear the worst, nor by any means a despicable alternative |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Despicable" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 98.37% of the time. "Despicable" is used about 123 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 98.37% | 121 | 29,211 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.63% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 123 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
despicable | 10 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "despicable"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i përbuzshëm (contemptible, ignoble, ignominious), i përçmuar (pathetic, pathetical, wormy, wretched), i neveritshëm (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, accurst, beastly, contemptible, damnable, damned, detestable, disgustful, disgusting, execrable, fulsome, ghoulish, heinous, hideous, loathful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, putrid, rank, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, rotten, sickening, sickly, slimy, sordid, squalid, unclean, unsavory, unsavoury). (various references) | |
Arabic | مهين (contemptible, degrading, despised, insulting, menial, offending, offensive, outrageous), حقير (abject, base, beggarly, blackguardly, cheap, dingy, dirty, frowzy, grubby, ignoble, inferior, insignificant, lousy, low, low down, lowly, mean, menial, niggling, paltry, pettifogger, petty, pip squeak, pitiable, pitiful, poor, popinjay, rotten, scabby, scaly, scoundrelly, scruffy, scummy, scurvy, servile, shabby, shoddy, slavish, slim, slushy, small minded, snide, sod, squalid, swine, tacky, trifling, ungracious, unworthy, varmint, vile, villainous, worthless, wretched), زرى, خسيس (abject, base, contemptible, dastardly, ignoble, loon, lousy, low, lowly, mean, paltry, pooch, reptile, ruffian, scruffy, servile, shabby, shoddy, sleazy, small change, sordid, vile, villainous), جدير بالإزدراء (contemptible, opprobrious, squalid). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | окаян (abject, beggarly, deplorable, forlorn, miserable, reprobate, squalid, wretched), презрян (paltry, ratty, squalid, worthless). (various references) | |
Chinese | 卑鄙 (base, contemptible, mean), 卑劣 (base, mean), 可鄙 (Despicableness). (various references) | |
Czech | opovrženíhodný (abject, contemptible), ohavný (abominable, detestable, execrable, ghastly, heinous, hideous, horrendous, horrid, odious, ugly, unspeakable, vile, villainous), nièemný (caitiff, contemptible, miscreated, rascally, roguish, scampish, scoundrelly, vile, villainous, worthless), bezectný (dishonorable, dishonourable). (various references) | |
Farsi | پست (Abacinate, Abject, Cheap, Common, Currish, Earthborn, Humble, Infamous, Inferior, Lily, Little, Mail, Menial, Peevish, Poor, Runty, Ungenerous, Venal, Vile, Villain, Villainous, Vulgar, Wretch, Wretched), مطرود (Abject, Castaway, Outcast, Rejcet), نکوهش پذیر, زبون (Humble), خوار (Abject, Lowly, Wretch). (various references) | |
Finnish | halveksittava (contemptible), halpamainen (base, ignoble, mean), halpakorkoinen (base, ignoble, mean). (various references) | |
French | méprisable, imbécile, ignoble, abject. (various references) | |
German | verächtlich (abject, abjectly, abjekt, contemptible, contemptuous, contemptuously, despicably, disdainful, disdainfully, opprobrious, scoffing, scoffingly, scornful, scornfully), jämmerlich (abject, deplorable, dismal, lamentable, lamentably, meager, miserable, miserably, pathetic, pitiful, pitifully, sorry, wretched). (various references) | |
Greek | ποταπόσ (contemptible, dastardly, mean), ποταπός (contemptible), αξιοκαταφρόνητοσ, αξιοκαταφρόνητος, απαίσιος (appaling, atrocious, awful, execrable, foul, horrible, nasty). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מאוס (abominable, abomination, anathema, atrocious, disgusting, foul, fulsome, loathsome, mangy, refuse, repulsive, repulsiveness), מ וול (contemptible, corrupt, rotten, ugly), בזוי (abasement, abashment, abject, contempt, contemptible, cursed, deprecation, despised, despising, ignominius, measly, menial, pitiful, vile), מאס (abhorred, contemptible, despised, loathed), בז" (cad, contemptible, despised, mean, mean-spirited, measly, nasty, ornery, scamp, shameful, sordid, villain, worm, wretched). (various references) | |
Hungarian | megvetendő (contemptible, pitiable, pitiful), megvetésre méltó (opprobrious), aljas (blackguard, caitiff, dastardly, depraved, dirty mean, felon, flagitious, foul, grovelling, infamous, knavish, low down, nefarious, perfidious, scrounging, scummy, scurvied, scurvy, shabby, sordid, villainous), alávaló (abject, dirty, dungy, foul, nefarious, perfidious, pitiful, rascally, scurvy). (various references) | |
Indonesian | tercela (blamable, deformed, disabled, disgraceful, reprehensible, shamefully bad), hina (caddish, disdainful, villainous). (various references) | |
Italian | disprezzabile (contemptible), spregevole (abject, contemptible, currish, degraded, mangy, mean), riprovevole (blameful, blameworthy, reprehensible), miserabile (abject, dismal, meager, mean, measly, miserable, misery, poor, poverty stricken, sorry, unhappiness, wretch, wretched, wretchedness), abietto (abject, base, degraded, groveling, grovelling, low, unrighteous, vile). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 賤しむべき , 見下'果てた (contemptible), 浅ましい (abject, mean, miserable, shameful, wretched), "棄 (contemptuous), 卑しむべき . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | いやしむべき, あさましい (abject, mean, miserable, shameful, wretched), みさ'はてた (contemptible), き (contemptuous, indolence, listlessness). (various references) | |
Korean | 비열한. (various references) | |
Manx | mooidjeenagh (badly behaved, debase, rascally, villainous). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | espicableday.(various references) | |
Portuguese | desprezível (abject, beggarly, caitiff, contemptible, lily-livered, little, mean, negligible, paltry, peddling, picayune, pitiable, reptile, scurvy, trashy, unworthy, worthless), vil (base, caitiff, carrion, dirty, ignoble, lily-livered, lousy, low-down, low-minded, mean, nasty, nefarious, paltry, picayune, rascally, reptile, rotten, scurrilous, scurvy, servile, slavish, sneaking, sordid, ugly, vile, villainous), mesquinho (cheeseparing, close-fisted, costive, illiberal, little, logy, mangy, mean, mingy, miserly, niggling, peddling, penurious, pimping, pitiable, scaly, scrubby, scurvy, small, sordid, stingy, unhandsome). (various references) | |
Romanian | vrednic de dispreţ (contemptible, pitiable, poor, reprehensible), mizerabil (abject, dirty, godforsaken, grovelling, miserable, miserably, pitiable, unlucky, villainous, wretch, wretched), mârşav (dirty, grovelling, infamous, mean, scummy, shameful, skunk), josnic (abject, base, base-minded, dirty, grovelling, grubby, infamous, little, low, low-minded, mean, meanly, nasty, paltry, scurrilous, scurvy, shabby, slavish, sordid, sordidly, vile). (various references) | |
Russian | подлый (base, dastardly, dirty, ignoble, mean, meanspirited, mean-spirited, rascally, reprobate, reptile, scoundrelly, scummy, sneaking, vile, villainous, wormy). (various references) | |
Scottish | t ireil (contemptible, despising, low). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | dostojan prezira. (various references) | |
Spanish | despreciable (abject, contemptible, crummy, miserable, negligible, pitiful, scabby, scornful, twopenny), vil (abject, contemptible, cur, foul, lousy, low, low down, lower, mean, mean-spirited, miserable, nefarious, rotten, scurvily, scurvy, sordid, squalid, vile), bajo (bank, base, bass, bass voice, basso, below, beneath, bottom, deep, depth, down, humble, low, low down, low lying, lower, menial, short, small, subdued, under, underneath, would be). (various references) | |
Swedish | föraktlig (abject, contemptible, ignoble), ömklig (dastardly, miserable, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, pityful). (various references) | |
Turkish | değersiz (cheap, footling, inferior, insignificant, jerkwater, measly, milk and water, no-account, nonvalent, non-valent, nugatory, of no worth, paltry, pitiable, punk, rubbishy, shoddy, tinpot, trashy, trivial, trumpery, two bit, valueless, vile, worthless), küçümsenen, adi (abject, base, camp, campy, cheap jack, chintzy, coarse, coarse grained, common, common as dirt, commonplace, contemptible, dastardly, everyday, groveling, grovelling, gutter, hackneyed, jerkwater, little, low, low class, mean, measly, no class, one horse, ordinary, ornery, picayune, picayunish, poky, rubbishy, shoddy, slavish, sleazy, twopenny, twopenny-halfpenny, vile, vulgar, wormy, yellow dog). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | що виклика" презирство, мерзений, презирливий (contemptuous, disdainful, scornful, supercilious). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | hèn hạ (abject, base, basely, blithering, dirtily, dirty, dishonourable, meanly, picayune, poor, scabbily, scurvy, shabby, vile), đáng khinh; ti tiện. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | contempta, contempto, contemptorum, contemptos, contemptum, contemptus, despectivus, despicari. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "despicable": despicableness, despicablenesses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Despicable" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: despecable, despicalb, dispicabble, dispicable, dispicablle, dispiccable, disppicable, disspicable. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "despicable" (pronounced di'spi"kubul) |
| 5 | -k u b u l | amicable, applicable, bankable, breakable, communicable, drinkable, impeccable, implacable, impracticable, inapplicable, talkable, irrevocable, likable, likeable, practicable, remarkable, revocable, unmistakable, unremarkable, unshakable, unsinkable, unspeakable, unthinkable, unworkable, workable. |
| 4 | -u b u l | incurable, indefatigable, indefensible, indefinable, indelible, indescribable, indestructible, indispensable, indisputable, indistinguishable, indivisible, indomitable, inedible, ineffable, ineligible, inequitable, inescapable, inevitable, inexcusable, inexhaustible, inexorable, inexplicable, infallible, infeasible, inflammable, inflatable, acceptable, accessible, abominable, accountable, achievable, actionable, adaptable, addressable, adjustable, admirable, admissible, adoptable, adorable, advisable, affable, affordable, agreeable, allowable, amenable, amendable, amiable, analyzable, answerable, appealable, appreciable, approachable, approvable, arable, arguable, attainable, attributable, audible, available, avoidable, bearable, believable, billable, biodegradable, buildable, burnable, callable, cannibal, capable, changeable, chargeable, charitable, classifiable, collapsible, collectible, Combinable, comfortable, commendable, comparable, compatible, compensable, comprehensible, conceivable, confirmable, considerable, constable, consumable, contemptible, contestable, controllable, convertible, copyrightable, countable, credible, creditable, crucible, culpable, curable, debatable, deductible, defensible, definable, degradable, delectable, deliverable, demonstrable, dependable, deplorable, deployable, depreciable, describable, desirable, detachable, detectable, determinable, developable, digestible, disagreeable, discernible, discountable, discoverable, dishonorable, dispensable, disposable, disreputable, distinguishable, divisible, doable, drivable, durable, eatable, edible, electable, eligible, Embraceable, employable, enforceable, enjoyable, enviable, equable, equitable, erasable, erodible, estimable, exchangeable, excitable, excludable, excusable, execrable, exercisable, expandable, expendable, explainable, exportable, extendable, extendible, fallible, fashionable, fathomable, favorable, feasible, fissionable, fixable, flammable, flexible, forcible, foreseeable, forfeitable, forgettable, forgivable, formidable, fungible, fusible, gullible, habitable, harvestable, heritable, hon, honorable, horrible, hospitable, identifiable, illegible, imaginable, imitable, immiscible, immovable, immutable, impassable, impeachable, impenetrable, imperceptible, impermissible, implantable, implausible, imponderable, impossible, impregnable, impressionable, improbable, inaccessible, inadmissible, inadvisable, inalienable, inaudible, incalculable, incapable, incomparable, incompatible, incomprehensible, incompressible, inconceivable, incontrovertible, incorrigible, incredible, soluble, solvable, spendable, submersible, suggestible, suitable, supportable, survivable, susceptible, sustainable, syllable, tangible, taxable, teachable, tenable, terrible, inflexible, inheritable, inhospitable, inimitable, injectable, innumerable, inoperable, insatiable, inscrutable, inseparable, insoluble, insufferable, insupportable, insurmountable, intangible, intelligible, interchangeable, interminable, interruptible, intolerable, intractable, invaluable, investable, invincible, inviolable, invisible, invulnerable, irascible, irreconcilable, irrefutable, irremediable, irreparable, irreplaceable, irrepressible, irresistible, irresponsible, irreversible, irritable, issuable, justifiable, knowledgeable, lamentable, laudable, laughable, leasable, legible, liable, livable, lovable, malleable, manageable, mandible, maneuverable, marketable, measurable, memorable, microwavable, miscible, miserable, moldable, movable, navigable, negligible, negotiable, noncallable, nonconvertible, nondeductible, nondurable, nonrefundable, nonrenewable, nontaxable, nontransferable, notable, noticeable, objectionable, observable, obtainable, operable, ostensible, palatable, palpable, parable, passable, patentable, payable, peaceable, perceptible, perishable, permeable, permissible, personable, persuadable, pitiable, plausible, pleasurable, pliable, portable, possible, potable, predictable, preferable, presentable, preventable, printable, probable, profitable, programmable, prosecutable, provable, punishable, questionable, quotable, reachable, readable, realizable, reasonable, receivable, rechargeable, recognizable, recordable, recoverable, recyclable, redeemable, redoubtable, reducible, refundable, regrettable, reliable, removable, renewable, rentable, repairable, repayable, repeatable, replaceable, reportable, reprehensible, reputable, resealable, resettable, respectable, responsible, retractable, returnable, reusable, reversible, ridable, salable, saleable, salvageable, seasonable, sensible, serviceable, sizable, sizeable, sociable, tolerable, traceable, tractable, tradable, tradeable, trainable, transferable, transferrable, transmittable, transportable, treatable, tunable, typeable, unacceptable, unaccountable, unaffordable, unalienable, unalterable, unanswerable, unassailable, unattainable, unavailable, unavoidable, unbearable, unbeatable, unbelievable, unbuildable, uncollectible, uncomfortable, unconscionable, uncontrollable, undeniable, understandable, undesirable, undetectable, unelectable, unemployable, unenforceable, unenviable, unexplainable, unfashionable, unfathomable, unfavorable, unfeasible, unflappable, unforeseeable, unforgettable, unforgivable, ungovernable, unimaginable, unimpeachable, uninhabitable, uninsurable, unintelligible, unjustifiable, unknowable, unlivable, unmanageable, unmentionable, unobtainable, unpalatable, unpredictable, unprintable, unprofitable, unquestionable, unreachable, unreadable, unreasonable, unrecognizable, unreliable, unsalable, unsolvable, unstoppable, unsuitable, unsupportable, unsustainable, untenable, untouchable, untraceable, unusable, unverifiable, unwinnable, usable, variable, vegetable, venerable, verifiable, veritable, viable, visible, voluble, vulnerable, washable, wearable, winnable. |
| 3 | -b u l | able, amble, assemble, babble, Babel, bauble, bible, bramble, bubble, Bumble, cable, cobble, coble, corbel, crumble, cymbal, dabble, Dibble, disable, disassemble, dissemble, double, Drabble, dribble, enable, enfeeble, ennoble, ensemble, fable, feeble, foible, fumble, gable, gamble, Garble, global, gobble, Gribble, grumble, hardscrabble, herbal, hobble, humble, ignoble, immeasurable, immobile, squabble, Stabile, stable, stubble, stumble, symbol, table, intertribal, jumble, kibble, label, libel, marble, mislabel, mobile, mumble, nibble, nimble, noble, nonverbal, pebble, preamble, psychobabble, quibble, rabble, ramble, reassemble, rebel, redouble, relabel, resemble, Roble, rouble, roundtable, rubble, Ruble, rumble, sable, Scrabble, scramble, scribble, shamble, Sibyl, thimble, timetable, treble, tremble, tribal, trouble, tubal, tumble, turntable, umbel, unable, unscramble, unserviceable, unstable, valuable, verbal, wamble, wobble. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-c-d-e-e-i-l-p-s" | |
-1 letter: beclasped. | |
-2 letters: abseiled, beladies, calipees, debacles, decibels, displace, eclipsed, especial, pedicabs, pedicels, pedicles, piebalds, pleiades. | |
-3 letters: aediles, alipeds, bailees, baldies, beadles, beclasp, belaced, beleaps, bipedal, calipee, clasped, debacle, decibel, deciles, disable, eclipse, edibles, elapids, elapsed, escaped, lapides, palsied, pedicab, pedicel, pedicle, piebald, plaices, pleased, pleiads, scalped, sepaled, special, speiled, spieled, spliced. | |
-4 letters: abeles, abides. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-c-d-e-e-i-l-p-s" | |
+1 letter: predicables. | |
+2 letters: displaceable. | |
+4 letters: despicableness, disrespectable, indecomposable, subspecialized, unpredictables. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Quotations: Familiar 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Translations: Ancient 12. Derivations | 13. Rhymes 14. Anagrams 15. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
