Despicable
/dɪˈspɪkəbəl/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Despicable describes actions, behavior, or people that are very bad, mean, or wrong in a way that makes others feel disgust or strong dislike. It is often used to show strong moral judgment about something unfair, cruel, or dishonest.
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⚡ See It in Action
Morally very bad or wrong
- •Stealing from the poor is a despicable act.
- •The dictator’s despicable cruelty caused great suffering.
- •It’s despicable to treat others unfairly because of their race or religion.
Very unpleasant or hateful behavior
- •His despicable lies hurt many people.
- •Bullying is despicable and should never be accepted.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "despicable" like "bad," but MUCH stronger—it means something so wrong that people feel disgusted or angry
- ✓Picture a person doing something mean, like lying or cheating, and others turning away with strong dislike
- ✓It's the feeling you get when you see someone being very unfair or hurtful on purpose
- ✓Sounds like "dis-PEE-kuh-bull" → imagine someone peeing (disrespectfully) on something important, showing bad behavior
- ✓In stories, villains or bad characters often do despicable things that make heroes upset
- ✓NOT like "rude" (which is small bad manners), despicable means very serious moral wrong or cruelty
- ✓NOT like "mistake" (accidental), despicable is done on purpose and is blameworthy
- ✓NOT like "mean" (which can be small or teasing), despicable is very strong and serious bad behavior
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Horrible: very bad or unpleasant (Use when you want to say something is shocking or terrible but not necessarily about morals)
- •Shameful: causing shame or embarrassment (Use when focusing on the feeling of disgrace caused by bad actions)
- •Mean: unkind or cruel (Use for less strong or less serious bad behavior)
- •Vile: extremely unpleasant or morally bad (Use for very strong negative feelings, similar to despicable)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Prefix "de-" means "down" or "away," showing negativity
- •Root "spic" comes from Latin "specere," meaning "to look" or "to see"
- •Suffix "-able" means "able to be"
- •The word originally meant "able to be looked down on" or "worthy of contempt"
- •First used in English in the 1500s to describe something or someone deserving strong dislike or moral rejection
- •Today, it is used to describe very bad or morally wrong actions or people
💭 Reflect & Connect
•Can an action be despicable in one culture but not in another? How does culture affect what we think is despicable?
•How do you react when you see despicable behavior? What do you think is the best way to respond?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.Stealing money from charity is despicable because it ___ trust and hurts people who need help.
2.When someone acts despicable, it often causes ___ feelings like anger or disgust in others.
3.Despicable behavior is different from simple mistakes because it is usually ___ and meant to harm.
4.The phrase "despicable act" is often used to describe actions that are ___ or unfair.
5.People usually talk about despicable actions with ___ words to show strong dislike.
6.Despicable is a stronger word than "mean" because it shows a ___ level of badness.
7.You can tell a story is about a villain if it describes their actions as ___ and cruel.