misanthrope
/ˈmɪs.ənˌθɹəʊp/
misanthrope means one who has a negative view of the entire human race. It carries an Arena rating of 1822, earned across 55 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, misanthrope ranks #150 of 42,752 for Qualifying, #489 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,128 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,624 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
misanthrope is pronounced /ˈmɪs.ənˌθɹəʊp/.
Why “misanthrope” is a great word
One who dislikes, distrusts, or hates humankind. From Ancient Greek μισέω (miséō, "I hate") and ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, "human being"), first attested in English in the 1560s. Unlike a cynic, who assumes self-interest with scornful wit, or a recluse, who withdraws for quietude or prayer, the misanthrope nurses a visceral, fundamental allergy to the species. It is the cold calculation in the eyes of a man on a crowded train, the private satisfaction when a public promise is broken, the careful pruning of one's own garden while the world's weeds are left to choke each other—a philosophy forged not in theory, but in the cold fire of a thousand small, corroborating disappointments.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek from μισέω (miséō, “I hate”) and ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man; human”); compare miser.
noun
- One who has a negative view of the entire human race.e.g.“Alas, poor Dean! his only scope
Was to be held a misanthrope.” — 1731, Jonathan Swift, On the Death of Jonathan Swift:
- Someone who distrusts or avoids other people.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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