despises

Despises is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb despise, meaning to strongly dislike or feel contempt for someone or something. It can express moral disapproval, rejection, or scorn, often implying a judgment that something is unworthy of respect or consideration.

Etymology and history: The verb despise comes from Old French despisier, from the Latin despicere, literally “to look down on.” The sense of looking down or scorn has remained central to the modern meaning. The form despises is formed regularly in English by adding -es to the base verb for third-person singular in the present tense.

Usage and nuance: Despises is used to indicate intense negative feeling toward a person, action, idea, or behavior. It conveys more than mere dislike; it implies contempt or rejection. For example, one might say, “She despises hypocrisy,” or “He despises injustice.” The word is often found in formal or literary writing, but it also appears in journalism and dialogue to characterize a person’s strong moral stance.

Grammar: Despise is a transitive verb and takes a direct object, which can be a noun, noun clause, or gerund phrase. Its related forms include despise, despising, and despised. The choice of despises aligns with subject-verb agreement in the present simple tense (he despises, she despises, it despises).

See also: detest, loathe, disdain, contempt, scorn. Despise contrasts with admire, approve, or tolerate.