despreciable

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

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Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is-

Proto-Italic *dis-

Latin dis-

Old Spanish des-

Spanish des-

Spanish preciar

Spanish despreciar

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin -ābilis

Old Spanish -abile

Spanish -able

Spanish despreciable

From despreciar + -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /despɾeˈθjable/ [d̪es.pɾeˈθja.β̞le] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /despɾeˈsjable/ [d̪es.pɾeˈsja.β̞le] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: des‧pre‧cia‧ble

Adjective

despreciable m or f (masculine and feminine plural despreciables)

1. despicable, contemptible

   Synonym: desdeñable

2. negligible

   Synonym: insignificante

Further reading

• “despreciable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025