Reprehensive

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Marked by qualities that elicit disapproval and condemnation
2. Having characteristics that warrant censure and express disfavor
3. Exhibiting traits that justify condemnation or moral reproach

Etymology: "Reprehensive" is an adjective meaning deserving censure or expressing disapproval, and it is a close relative of the more familiar "reprehensible." Its English form was shaped by comparison with French "répréhensif," which carries the same sense of blameworthy conduct. The word therefore sits in a small family of English adjectives borrowed or modelled on French forms, where the same Latin root reached English through a different channel from the common "reprehensible." The core idea is reproof: the verb "reprehend," from Latin "reprehendere," meant to hold back, seize, or find fault with something. Latin "re-" intensifies or reverses, and "prehendere" means to grasp, so the original image is of catching hold of a fault and pulling it back for examination. English speakers adopted this family of words to describe conduct that merits such a grasp of disapproval.

Synonyms: reproachful, censuring