Disprize

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Regarding someone or something as having little worth, value, or importance in one's estimation
2. To think poorly of a person or thing and treat it as undeserving of respect or admiration
3. Esteeming a thing lightly, looking down upon it as being of minimal merit or significance

Etymology: "Disprize" is a English word built from "dis-", a prefix meaning reversal or negation, attached to "prize" in the sense of "to value highly." Put together, the original idea is to take away value, which is why the verb and noun carry the sense of scorning something as worthless. The more surprising part is that "disprize" is a doublet of "dispraise," meaning the two words descend from the same source but took different routes into English. Both come from the same Old French and Latin material, so they are close relatives in the way that "shadow" and "shade" are, yet they settled into slightly different senses over time. Where "dispraise" leans toward criticism or censure, "disprize" keeps the flavour of simply rating something as having little worth.

Synonyms: despise, scorn, disdain

Antonyms: prize, esteem, admire