hate 1 of 2

hate

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb hate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of hate are abhor, abominate, detest, and loathe. While all these words mean "to feel strong aversion or intense dislike for," hate implies an emotional aversion often coupled with enmity or malice.

hated the enemy with a passion

When would abhor be a good substitute for hate?

The meanings of abhor and hate largely overlap; however, abhor implies a deep often shuddering repugnance.

a crime abhorred by all

When might abominate be a better fit than hate?

The synonyms abominate and hate are sometimes interchangeable, but abominate suggests strong detestation and often moral condemnation.

abominates all forms of violence

When can detest be used instead of hate?

While in some cases nearly identical to hate, detest suggests violent antipathy.

detests cowards

When is it sensible to use loathe instead of hate?

While the synonyms loathe and hate are close in meaning, loathe implies utter disgust and intolerance.

loathed the mere sight of them

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hate
Verb
The irony of those who claim to hate Trump because of his policies are directing their hatred at a recent idol merely because that idol is now working with our president. Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025 For every 500 people that love you, there’s going to be five that hate you. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2025
Noun
Keeping behind them with support is a hell of a lot better than hate city. Michael Russo, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025 More emotional and personal testimony comes from a survivor of the attack, as well as from U.S. college students whose public support for Israel earned them a deluge of online hate. Alissa Simon, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hate
Verb
  • Why are all these cases involving the coddling of savages who despise America seem to end up in front of card-carrying fellow travelers like Boasberg and Sorokin?
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
  • These steps may not deter all of Iraq’s leaders from coordinating with Iran; there is a small contingent of elites who truly despise the United States.
    Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
  • In fact, her personal hatred of gripping challenges even served as her Survivor hot take below.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Over the past few weeks, President Trump has used executive orders to wage war on law firms, specifically targeting those whose lawyers have investigated or sued him, or represented his enemies in court.
    Michael Barbaro, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
  • After an all-out war between Jacob and his enemies, scores of lifeless bodies are left on the platform in a win for the current and future Duttons, including that of Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn).
    Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The reactions from right-of-center publications divide into roughly four camps, aligning on a spectrum ranging from vocal approval to outright abhorrence.
    Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
  • Tolin doesn’t candy coat the animosity, helping children to understand how artists and Others continue to be misunderstood and how that lack of appreciation fuels abhorrence.
    Natasha Gural, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • According to research, the fear of flying is one of the most prevalent phobias in the world.
    Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • With my driving phobia… Separating from my wife was literally the worst.
    Ilana Masad, Them, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • What happens when such legal requirements at the state and local level meet the Trump Administration’s deep antipathy and use of federal policy to fight against DEI, especially where it is mandated by law?
    Richard McGahey, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • But the context was eerily similar: a palpable antipathy towards the owners manifesting itself in scathing banners inside the Stadio Olimpico on matchdays and outside the team’s Trigoria training complex.
    James Horncastle, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Much of Trump’s detestation of the Hollywood establishment is of course performative, one more nemesis to cast in his Sorkinian screenplay.
    Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Between the lines: Many undecideds are painfully trying to balance their sense of obligation with their detestation for Trump, as USA Today first detailed on Thursday.
    Erin Doherty, Axios, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • In keeping with their distaste for regulations, Republicans and the broader conservative legal movement have long treated independent agencies as an abomination—and last month Trump sought to rein them in with an executive order that purported to bring them further under his direct control.
    Cristian Farias, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Yes, the end results are abominations, but there’s at least a lot less to get worked up about.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hate. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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