Synonyms

abhor

American

[ab-hawr] / æbˈhɔr /

verb (used with object)

abhorred, abhorring

to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate.

Synonyms:

despise

Antonyms:

admire, love

abhor British

/ əbˈhɔː /

verb

(tr) to detest vehemently; find repugnant; reject

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See hate.

Other Word Forms

abhorrer noun
superabhor verb (used with object)

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”

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.

The public both abhorred and adored the scandal.

From Salon

Martin abhors a perfect soul, and loves a human heart in conflict with itself and the world.

From Salon

During the conversation, Muir makes it clear he abhors crowded trades.

From MarketWatch

This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was a political progressive who abhorred radicalism, an antimonopolist who recognized the inevitability of large corporations and chose to regulate rather than ban them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023