misanthropy
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek μισανθρωπία (misanthrōpía), from μισάνθρωπος (misánthrōpos), from μῖσος (mîsos, “hatred”) + ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human”). The word is analysable as miso- + -anthropy.
Noun
misanthropy (countable and uncountable, plural misanthropies)
- Hatred or dislike of people or mankind.
- 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.
- 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
- 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.
- 1817, Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Revolt of Islam, Author's Preface
Synonyms
- Timonism (bitter misanthropy)
Antonyms
- (dislike of people) altruism, philanthropy, humanism
Hyponyms
- disanthropy
- misandry
- misogyny
- misopedia
Derived terms
- misanthrope
- misanthropic
- misanthropist
Translations
hatred or dislike of people or mankind
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Anagrams
- Amphitryons