English 'misanthrope' from Greek 'misánthrōpos' — literally 'human-hater,' from 'mîsos' (hatred) + 'ánthrōpos' (human being).
A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
From Greek 'misánthrōpos' (μισάνθρωπος, hating humankind, a hater of people), a compound of 'mîsos' (μῖσος, hatred, the feeling of hatred) + 'ánthrōpos' (ἄνθρωπος, a human being, man in the generic sense). The first element, 'mîsos,' is from the verb 'miseîn' (to hate), of uncertain PIE origin. The second, 'ánthrōpos,' is of disputed etymology: one analysis is 'ana-' (up) + 'thrṓskō' (to look), meaning the upward-looking one, distinguishing humans
The Greek prefix 'mis-' (hatred) appears in 'misogyny' (hatred of women), 'misandry' (hatred of men), and 'misanthropy' (hatred of humanity). Its opposite is 'phil-' (love): 'philanthropy' (love of humanity) is the exact antonym of 'misanthropy.' Shakespeare's Timon of Athens is literature's most famous misanthrope before Molière's Alceste — Timon gives away his fortune, is betrayed
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