abhor
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See hate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
abhorsimple
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abhorssimple
-
have abhorredperfect
-
has abhorredperfect
-
am abhorringprogressive
-
are abhorringprogressive
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is abhorringprogressive
-
have been abhorringperfect progressive
-
has been abhorringperfect progressive
Past
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abhorredsimple
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had abhorredperfect
-
was abhorringprogressive
-
were abhorringprogressive
-
had been abhorringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abhor
First recorded before 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin abhorrēre “to shrink back from, shudder at,” equivalent to ab- ab- + horrēre “to bristle, tremble”
Explanation
If you abhor something, it gives you a feeling of complete hatred. Chances are you abhor that kid who used to torture the frogs in biology class. Abhor is from Latin abhorrere — "to shrink back in horror." It is the strongest way in English to express hatred, even stronger than loathe. We only use abhor in formal contexts; you might say "I abhor that man," but you would be less likely to say "I abhor spinach" unless you tend to express yourself in highfalutin terms no matter what the occasion.
Vocabulary lists containing abhor
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Grade 9, List 1
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Romeo and Juliet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The front-runner, 60-year-old BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, represents the dynastic politics that many educated Bangladeshis abhor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Briloff would say that markets abhor uncertainty, and less frequent reporting only adds more.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
“I disagree with or even abhor things that Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him isn’t the answer either.”
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2025
It is an astonishing, so to speak, over-the-top score, which you either love or abhor for its instrumental vulgarity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
Who cares if members of your family abhor your Inner Stickler and devoutly wish you had an Inner Scooby-Doo instead?
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
While Mrs. Bennet abhors glasses on women, Mary embraces them, the better to read her books with.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
During the conversation, Muir makes it clear he abhors crowded trades.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
That, however, would require something Generation Z abhors: boredom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
Nature abhors a vacuum and markets aren’t all that keen on it either.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
He says that when a species becomes extinct, some other species moves in to fill up the ecological niche, because Nature abhors a vacuum.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Mr. Paul explained, then and many times afterward, that he abhorred racism and supported abolition of discrimination in all governmental activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
He added, though, “I very much abhorred Jan. 6. There’s no cause for violence.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024
He was also a silver-tongued intellectual who abhorred boorish thinking and behavior and savored debates with the sharpest minds of his era.
From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2024
Senators, Sandvine later announced that it would no longer work with Belarus, saying that it abhorred “the use of technology to suppress the free flow of information resulting in human rights violations.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
In the midst of my pain of heart and frantic effort of principle, I abhorred myself.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
All had the backbone to join multiple Republicans in sharply abhorring the scandal.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 21, 2020
Despite abhorring analytics, Barkley’s adventures in mathematics have routinely made for amazing television.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2018
Politically, he remained exceptionally conservative, abhorring social unrest and invariably supporting law and order.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2017
The libretto, by Mr. Morrison and John Cox, an opera director and Wilde scholar, is a high-minded affair, preaching tolerance and abhorring bigotry at every turn.
From New York Times ● Aug. 1, 2013
Those were the days of the time-honoured legends about Nature "abhorring a vacuum," tolerating no "breaks," and the wonders of her "curative force".
From Morality as a Religion An exposition of some first principles by Sullivan, W. R. Washington
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
