Is "despicable" a general expression? and is it used towards children? Which expressions can be used towards adults?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

The term "despicable" means that someone is so horrible that they deserve to be deeply hated or despised. It is not a common word to use towards people unless they are a horrible person or have done something which is terrible. Instead of directly describing people, "despicable" is more commonly used to describe bad actions or behaviors of people. Ex: The murderer's crimes are despicable. Ex: Her selfish attitude is despicable. More general words to use to describe people in this way which are less strong than "despicable" are "horrible", "awful", or "mean". These words can be used to describe any person, either a child or an adult, who is not a good person or behaves in a bad way. Ex: That child is horrible; he behaves so badly. Ex: She's a terrible mother.

How do native speakers use this expression?

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Popular Q&As

04/20

1
What does “primed for something” mean?
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2
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What's the main difference between a scooter and a motorcycle?
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Why "Restaurant" doesn't have "s" and "article"?
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