Basic Details
Word: Despise
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To hate someone or something and look down on them as worthless.
Synonyms: loathe, scorn, detest, hate
Antonyms: admire, respect, love, adore
How to Spell Despise
Syllables: de - spise
Tricky part: Students write despice with a c or dispise with an i. The word begins with de, and the second s is written s even though it sounds like z.
Watch out for: despice, despize, dispise
Memory tip: An s stands on each side of the pi: de-S-pi-S-e. Neither of them is a c or a z.
Usage Examples
Example 1: I despise people who are cruel to stray animals.
Example 2: The hero of the story despised the greedy landlord.
Example 3: Some children despise bitter gourd, but my brother loves it.
Fun Fact
Despise is one of a group of verbs, with advise, surprise and exercise, that are always spelt with ise, even in American English.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to despise as used in the sentence:
Most farmers in the village despise the moneylender who charges them crushing interest.
a) scorn
b) admire
c) detest
d) fear
Show answer
b) admire. To despise is to look down on someone; to admire is to look up to them.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Even though she seemed to dispise the noisy city at first, Kavya slowly grew to love its crowded markets, late-night food stalls and busy railway station.
a) railway
b) crowded
c) markets
d) dispise
Show answer
d) dispise. The word starts with de, as in describe, not dis.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. despise 2. suprise 3. exersise 4. advertisment
a) hate and look down on
b) a notice or film that promotes a product
c) physical activity to keep fit
d) something unexpected
Show answer
a) hate and look down on. Surprise has lost its first r, exercise its c, and advertisement its e; despise stands correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If you despise cheating, you ____.
a) have never heard of it
b) strongly dislike it
c) do it often
d) enjoy it
Show answer
b) strongly dislike it
2. Which word comes closest to despise?
a) loathe
b) despair
c) describe
d) desire
Show answer
a) loathe
