MISANTHROPY

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does misanthropy mean? 

• MISANTHROPY (noun)
  The noun MISANTHROPY has 2 senses:

1. hatred of mankind

2. a disposition to dislike and mistrust other people

  Familiarity information: MISANTHROPY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MISANTHROPY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hatred of mankind

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("misanthropy" is a kind of...):

hate; hatred (the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action)

Derivation:

misanthropic; misanthropical (hating mankind in general)

misanthropist (someone who dislikes people in general)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A disposition to dislike and mistrust other people

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("misanthropy" is a kind of...):

unfriendliness (an unfriendly disposition)

Derivation:

misanthropic; misanthropical (believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others)

misanthropist (someone who dislikes people in general)

 Context examples 

There are many men in London, you know, who, some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their fellows.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)