loath

Or loth

[lohth, lohth]

adjective

1. unwilling; reluctant; disinclined; averse.

   to be loath to admit a mistake.

   Antonyms: eager

loath

/ ləʊθ /

adjective

1. (usually foll by to) reluctant or unwilling

2. willing

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of loath¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of loath¹

Old English lāth (in the sense: hostile); related to Old Norse leithr

Synonym Study

See reluctant.

Example Sentences

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.

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

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Leaders in the Arab world also recognize that Netanyahu will face voters soon and will be loath to take moves that could boost his popularity, said Krasna.

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Given the effort across the board in Northern Ireland's 2-0 win over Slovakia in World Cup qualifying on Friday evening, manager Michael O'Neill was understandably loath to single out any individual for too much praise.

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When companies are looking to replace a founder, they may be loath to pick one internal executive over another, fearing the person who doesn’t get the job will soon quit.

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Related Words

• afraid 
• hesitant 
• reluctant 
• unwilling 

When To Use

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.