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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Despised

Despise \De*spise"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Despised; p. pr. & vb. n. Despising.] [OF. despis-, in some forms of despire to despise, fr. L. despicere, despectum, to look down upon, despise; de- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy, and cf. Despicable, Despite.] To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of.

Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
--Prov. i. 7.

Men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them.
--Jowett (Thucyd. ).

Syn: To contemn; scorn; disdain; slight; undervalue. See Contemn.

Wiktionary
despised
  1. Hated; viewed with scorn. v

  2. (en-past of: despise)

WordNet
despised

adj. treated with contempt [syn: detested, hated, scorned]

Usage examples of "despised".

The forests and morasses of Germany were filled with a hardy race of barbarians, who despised life when it was separated from freedom.

They placed their new sovereign, whom they served and despised, in the centre of their ranks, surrounded him on every side with their shields, and conducted him in close order of battle through the deserted streets of the city.

The Roman troopers despised the complete armor with which the cavalry of the East was encumbered.

The soldiers, detesting the senate and the people, despised the weakness of a prince, who wanted either the spirit or the power to command the obedience of his subjects.

Maximus despised Balbinus as a luxurious noble, and was in his turn disdained by his colleague as an obscure soldier.

The most faithful servants of the father despised the incapacity, and dreaded the cruel arrogance, of the son.

The Jews, who, under the Assyrian and Persian monarchies, had languished for many ages the most despised portion of their slaves, ^1 emerged from obscurity under the successors of Alexander.

Such amusements, however, were rejected with abhorrence, or admitted with the utmost caution, by the severity of the fathers, who despised all knowledge that was not useful to salvation, and who considered all levity of discours eas a criminal abuse of the gift of speech.

The fervor of the first proselytes prompted them to sell those worldly possessions, which they despised, to lay the price of them at the feet of the apostles, and to content themselves with receiving an equal share out of the general distribution.

They dissolved the sacred ties of custom and education, violated the religious institutions of their country, and presumptuously despised whatever their fathers had believed as true, or had reverenced as sacred.

During the whole course of his reign, Marcus despised the Christians as a philosopher, and punished them as a sovereign.

The Germans despised an enemy who appeared destitute either of power or of inclination to offend them.

He despised the honors, renounced the pleasures, and discharged with incessant diligence the duties, of his exalted station.

The vehement zeal of the Christians, who despised the worship, and overturned the altars of those fabulous deities, engaged their votary in a state of irreconcilable hostility with a very numerous party of his subjects.

He despised the trophies of a Gothic victory, and was satisfied that the rapacious Barbarians of the Danube would be restrained from any future violation of the faith of treaties by the terror of his name, and the additional fortifications with which he strengthened the Thracian and Illyrian frontiers.