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Commonly Confused Words
Hate/Despise
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Hate vs. Despise
Hate
/heɪt/
Learn more about synonyms and antonyms
A strong feeling of dislike or aversion towards someone or something
Examples:
I
hate
cold weather.
She
hates
waking up early in the morning.
Synonyms:
detest
despise
loathe
abhor
Antonyms:
love
admire
cherish
like
Learn more about synonyms and antonyms
Despise
/dɪˈspaɪz/
To strongly dislike or have no respect for someone or something.
Examples:
She
despises
being told how to live her life.
Politicians who distort facts are widely
despised
.
He
despised
the taste of bitter herbs.
Synonyms:
detest
loathe
scorn
abhor
disdain
Antonyms:
admire
respect
cherish
Ways to tell them apart:
Hate
is a more common word and has a broader usage than
despise
.
Despise
is used to express a stronger form of dislike with an element of contempt.
You might
hate
vegetables but
despise
someone who is dishonest.
Hate can refer to both mild and intense levels of dislike, but despise suggests a deep disdain.
If something goes against your morality or ethics deeply, you might use
despise
rather than just
hate
.
When to use hate:
When to use despise:
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