Meanings
plural misanthropies
- countableuncountableA negative view or hatred of the human race.
1817, Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Revolt of Islam, Author's Preface Hence gloom and misanthropy have become the characteristics of the age in which we live, the solace of a disappointment that unconsciously finds relief only in the wilful exaggeration of its own despair.
1 more example
According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55Synonyms: Timonism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA negative view or hatred of the human race.
Origin
- Ancient Greekμισανθρωπία
- Englishmisanthropy
From Ancient Greek μισανθρωπία (misanthrōpía), from μισάνθρωπος (misánthrōpos), from μῖσος (mîsos, “hatred”) + ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human”). The word is analysable as miso- + -anthropy.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μισανθρωπία
- μισανθρωπία (misanthrōpía)negative view of people or mankind
Arabic بُغْض الْبَشَرِيَّة
- بُغْض الْبَشَرِيَّة (buḡḍ al-bašariyya)negative view of people or mankind
Basque misantropia
- misantropianegative view of people or mankind
Bulgarian мизантро́пия, човеконена́вистничество
- мизантро́пия (mizantrópija)negative view of people or mankind
- човеконена́вистничество (čovekonenávistničestvo)negative view of people or mankind
- човекомра́зие (čovekomrázie)negative view of people or mankind
Catalan misantropia
- misantropianegative view of people or mankind
Czech misantropie
- misantropienegative view of people or mankind
Danish misantropi
- misantropinegative view of people or mankind
Dutch misantropie, mensenhaat
- misantropienegative view of people or mankind
- mensenhaatnegative view of people or mankind
Esperanto mizantropio
- mizantropionegative view of people or mankind
Estonian misantroopia
- misantroopianegative view of people or mankind
Finnish misantropia, ihmisviha
- misantropianegative view of people or mankind
- ihmisvihanegative view of people or mankind
French misanthropie
- misanthropienegative view of people or mankind
German Menschenhass, Menschenfeindlichkeit
- Menschenhassnegative view of people or mankind
- Menschenfeindlichkeitnegative view of people or mankind
- Misanthropienegative view of people or mankind
Greek μισανθρωπία
- μισανθρωπία (misanthropía)negative view of people or mankind
Hawaiian hoʻokae kanaka
- hoʻokae kanakanegative view of people or mankind
Hebrew מִיזַנְתְּרוֹפְּיָה, שִׂנְאַת אָדָם
- מִיזַנְתְּרוֹפְּיָה (mizantrópya)negative view of people or mankind
- שִׂנְאַת אָדָם (sin'át adám)negative view of people or mankind
- שִׂנְאַת הַבְּרִיּוֹת (sin'át habriyót)negative view of people or mankind
Hungarian embergyűlölet
- embergyűlöletnegative view of people or mankind
Irish míchaidreamhacht
- míchaidreamhachtnegative view of people or mankind
Italian misantropia
- misantropianegative view of people or mankind
Japanese 人間不信
- 人間不信 (ningen fushin)negative view of people or mankind
Latin misanthropia
- misanthropianegative view of people or mankind
Latvian mizantropija
- mizantropijanegative view of people or mankind
Lithuanian mizantropija
- mizantropijanegative view of people or mankind
Norwegian Bokmål misantropi
- misantropinegative view of people or mankind
Persian مردمستیزی
- مردمستیزی (mardom-setizi)negative view of people or mankind
Polish mizantropia
- mizantropianegative view of people or mankind
Portuguese misantropia
- misantropianegative view of people or mankind
Romanian mizantropie
- mizantropienegative view of people or mankind
Russian человеконенави́стничество, мизантро́пия
- человеконенави́стничество (čelovekonenavístničestvo)negative view of people or mankind
- мизантро́пия (mizantrópija)negative view of people or mankind
Slovak mizantropia
- mizantropianegative view of people or mankind
Spanish misantropía
- misantropíanegative view of people or mankind
Swedish misantropi
- misantropinegative view of people or mankind
Turkish mizantropi
- mizantropinegative view of people or mankind
Ukrainian людиноненави́сництво, мізантро́пія
- людиноненави́сництво (ljudynonenavýsnyctvo)negative view of people or mankind
- мізантро́пія (mizantrópija)negative view of people or mankind
Yiddish מיזאַנטראָפּיע
- מיזאַנטראָפּיע (mizantropye)negative view of people or mankind
Cite this entry
misanthropy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misanthropy
“misanthropy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misanthropy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misanthropy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misanthropy.
Source: misanthropy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.