abhorrence
Americannoun
-
a feeling of extreme repugnance or aversion; utter loathing; abomination.
- Synonyms:
- detestation, execration
-
something or someone extremely repugnant or loathsome.
noun
-
a feeling of extreme loathing or aversion
-
a person or thing that is loathsome
Other Word Forms
- self-abhorrence noun
Etymology
Origin of abhorrence
First recorded in 1650–60; abhorr(ent) + -ence
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 gingery hero of “Bookish” has an abhorrence of murder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
It had everything to do with the public’s interest in the news and the First Amendment’s abhorrence of prior restraints.
From Slate • May 21, 2024
The vote confounded critics of O'Connor, who had previously expressed her personal abhorrence of abortion.
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2023
What's just as bad is the abhorrence problem, meaning that sometimes the original meaning of the Constitution is clear enough, but the results of an "originalist" interpretation would be morally abhorrent to most Americans today.
From Salon • Sep. 11, 2022
She spat a word with such disdain, such loathing, such complete abhorrence, that, dear reader, even I flinched: “Greg.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
