disprezziamo

Disprezziamo is the first-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb disprezzare, meaning to despise or to disdain. As a transitive verb, it takes a direct object and expresses strong disapproval or valuation of something or someone deemed worthless or inferior. The verb belongs to the -are conjugation and its present tense forms are disprezzo, disprezzi, disprezza, disprezziamo, disprezzate, disprezzano, with disprezziamo specifically used for "we despise." The spelling with -zz- helps preserve the hard consonant sound in the root.

Etymology: disprezzare derives from the prefix dis- (negation or reversal) attached to prezzo, from Latin pretium meaning price or value. The underlying sense is to set at no value, to scorn or undervalue.

Usage: It is used in contexts of moral or evaluative judgment, not for mere lack of interest. It often conveys ethical condemnation, though it can appear in literary or rhetorical registers. It can take various direct objects, including people (disprezzare qualcuno) or abstract concepts (disprezzare l’ipocrisia). In English, it is commonly translated as "to despise" or "to disdain." Related actions can be expressed with synonyms such as denigrare or sminuire, which have nuanced differences in emphasis.

Examples: Noi disprezziamo l’ipocrisia. We despise hypocrisy. Noi non disprezziamo mai i piccoli gesti. We never despise small gestures.

See also: Disprezzo (noun), Disprezzare (infinitive).