reprehensible

adjective

rep·​re·​hen·​si·​ble ˌre-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl 

: worthy of or deserving reprehension : culpable

reprehensibility

ˌre-pri-ˌhen(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

reprehensibleness

ˌre-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl-nəs 

noun

reprehensibly

ˌre-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

It may be easy to grasp that reprehensible is all about blame, but the word’s origins tell a grabbier story. The word comes from the Latin reprehendere (literally “to hold back”), a combination of re- and prehendere, meaning “to grasp.” Prehendere is at the root of other grasp-related words, among them apprehend, used when grabbing hold of bad guys, comprehend, used when it’s concepts that are grasped, and prehensile, used to describe anatomical features—for example, a monkey’s tail or an elephant’s trunk—that grasp especially by wrapping around. Grasp these words, and there’s nothing reprehensible about your grasp on this little corner of the English lexicon.

Synonyms

• blamable
• blameworthy
• censurable
• culpable
• reproachable

Examples of reprehensible in a Sentence

a reprehensible tyrant, who oppressed his country for decades, has finally been brought to justice

your behavior towards the other team was truly reprehensible, so you're being suspended from the next three games

Recent Examples on the Web

As then-President Pollack and Board Chair Kayser noted at the time, his comment was reprehensible and demonstrated a complete disregard for humanity. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 20 Sep. 2024

Regrettably, anyone who expressed even mild objections to DEI could be branded as a reprehensible bigot who needed immediate reeducation, thereby creating a demand for even more progressive-indoctrination sessions. —The Editors, National Review, 29 Nov. 2024

Recidivism, or the rate at which released prisoners return to prison after having served their term, is a whopping, reprehensible 83%. —John L. Evans Jr, Orlando Sentinel, 7 July 2024

Oh, and Walt MacPherson’s Detective Roger Gaffney — one of the most reprehensible characters on this show — secures a major promotion that puts him partially in charge of the homicide unit, and his petty villainy will be a recurring issue. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

reprehensible

adjective

rep·​re·​hen·​si·​ble ˌrep-ri-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl 

: worthy of or deserving blame or condemnation

reprehensible acts

reprehensibleness noun

reprehensibly

-blē 

adverb