Does anyone else usually use the word ‘despise’ as a very strong verb to describe hating or loathing something? A student in one of my adult English classes tried to use the word to describe looking down on someone (看不起 in Chinese) and I said that it sounded a bit strong in the context in which he was using it. However, Dr. Eye had this word as a translation for 看不起 so it must be correct.
I offered the following example sentences:
I look down on people who study at private universities.
I despise people who sell cannabis to children.
On the way home I was thinking about this word, and I thought that maybe it isn’t as clear cut as I made it out to be. Perhaps ‘despise’ can mean to have a low opinion of something without actually hating it?
Google gives me the definition of “despise” as “feel contempt or a deep repugnance for”.
“despise” is a very strong word, around the strength of “loathe”, in my opinion. The Chinese 看不起 (to look down on; to scorn) is, in my non-native opinion, milder.
(Etymologically, “despise” comes from Latin “despicare”, which literally means “to look down”. But etymology doesn’t generally fit with modern usage.)
i think it’s not that despise covers an extended degree of negative opinions, but rather 看不起 covers a wider degree of negative opinions.
I would agree with your initial evaluation that despise is a rather strong term, and whether the usage is correct really depends on the context of your student’s sentence.
