Meaning & use
despiseth
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“despiseth” is a form of “despise”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivearchaicreligionliterary
(in old religious and literary texts) feels strong dislike and no respect for someone or something.
Grammar: Old third-person singular form; it takes an object, as in 'he despiseth wisdom' — in modern English you would say 'he despises wisdom'.
Patterns
- despiseth someone
- despiseth something
- despiseth the word of God
In the old translation, the proud man despiseth the poor.
The psalm says that he despiseth those who turn away from the truth.
Whoever despiseth instruction will come to harm, according to the proverb.
verbtransitivearchaicreligion
(in old texts) rejects or treats something as having no value.
Grammar: Also takes an object; the object is usually an abstract thing such as advice, teaching or a command.
Patterns
- despiseth advice
- despiseth a command
- despiseth the law
The prophet warned that the nation despiseth the law.
A fool despiseth his father's teaching, the old verse says.
They despiseth the warning and suffered for it.
Word forms
| base form | despise |
|---|---|
| third person singular (modern) | despises |
| past tense | despised |
| past participle | despised |
| -ing form | despising |
Common combinations
- despiseth the poor
- The old sermon says that a proud heart despiseth the poor.
- despiseth wisdom
- In the ancient text, the foolish man despiseth wisdom.
- despiseth the word
- He despiseth the word of the Lord, the verse declares.
- despiseth instruction
- Whoever despiseth instruction will not prosper, the proverb warns.
- despiseth his neighbor
- The wicked man despiseth his neighbor, according to the psalm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- despises
- The normal modern third-person form; use this in everyday speech and writing instead of 'despiseth'.
- scorns
- Stronger and more literary; it suggests open contempt rather than just a lack of respect.
- disdains
- More formal and often suggests a feeling of superiority toward someone or something.
Opposites
Word family
- despise verb
- The base form, meaning to feel strong dislike and no respect for someone or something.
- despised adjective
- Describes someone or something that is treated with strong dislike and no respect.
- despicable adjective
- Describes behavior that deserves strong dislike and moral disapproval.
- despisal noun
- Rare noun meaning the act of feeling strong dislike and no respect.
Commonly confused: despiseth or despises? despiseth or despited?
despiseth vs despises
This is the modern third-person form; 'despiseth' is the old form used in older religious and literary texts.
despiseth vs despited
An archaic verb meaning to treat with contempt; it looks similar but is a different word and is even rarer.
Practice
In the old Bible translation, which form correctly completes the sentence 'He ___ the poor and the proud alike'?
Choose one answer.
'Despiseth' is the archaic third-person singular form that fits 'he' in older texts and matches the past-tense frame of the sentence. 'Despise' would be used with I, you, we or they, 'despising' needs a helping verb, and 'despised' is past tense, which does not fit the present-tense pattern here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “despiseth”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.