loath

American  

[lohth, lohth] / loʊθ, loʊð /

Or loth

adjective

1. unwilling; reluctant; disinclined; averse.

   to be loath to admit a mistake.

   Antonyms:

   eager

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loath British  

/ ləʊθ /

adjective

1. (usually foll by to) reluctant or unwilling

2. willing

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Usage

What’s the difference between loath and loathe? Loath is an adjective that means unwilling, reluctant, or disinclined, as in They are loath to get involved in such a messy situation. Loathe is a verb that means to hate or feel extreme disgust toward, as in I loathe the way he treats his dog or My kids loathe broccoli.  Loathe always rhymes with the verb clothe. Loath can be pronounced this way, but it can also rhyme with both.Loath is only ever used as an adjective, and loathe is only ever used as a verb. Both words are generally negative, but loathe is much more negative. Loathe is also the more common of the two words.The word loathsome is an adjective form of the verb loathe that means causing feelings of loathing—disgusting or revolting. You would describe someone you loathe as loathsome.Loath is usually followed by the word to and a verb, as in I’m loath to drive that far.To remember that the verb loathe ends with an e, remember that it means the same thing as hate, which also ends with an e.Here’s an example of loath and loathe used correctly in a sentence.Example: I’m loath to think about how much he must loathe me.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between loath and loathe.

Related Words

See reluctant.

Other Word Forms

• loathness noun
• overloath adjective
• unloath adjective
• unloathly adverb

Etymology

Origin of loath

First recorded before 900; Middle English loth, lath, Old English lāth “hostile, hateful”; cognate with Dutch leed, German leid “sorry,” Old Norse leithr “hateful”

Example Sentences

They are sometimes loath to try to have their son or daughter committed to an institution because they worry the child will hold this against them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Less price-conscious consumers have already purchased their cars and now he’s seeing more people who’ve held out for years because they are loath to take on higher car payments.

From The Wall Street Journal

A long-time proponent of independence for his Flemish-speaking region, he would be loath to relinquish the post of prime minister after years of questing for the top job.

From Barron's

I felt it made sense of the world we live in, because I think people are, for the most part, loath to give up on themselves or on their aims.

From Salon

Despite the optics, university officials are loath to credit Harrison’s actions alone for their moves.

From Salon

Related Words

• afraid
• hesitant
• reluctant
• unwilling