detest

[ dih-test ]

verb (used with object)

1. to feel abhorrence of; hate; dislike intensely.

   Synonyms: despise, execrate, abominate, loathe, abhor

   Antonyms: like, love

detest

/ dɪˈtɛst /

verb

1. tr to dislike intensely; loathe

Derived Forms

• deˈtester, noun

Other Words From

• de·tester noun
• unde·tested adjective
• unde·testing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of detest¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French detester, from Latin dētestārī “to call down a curse upon, loathe,” equivalent to dē- de- + testārī “to bear witness”; testate

Word History and Origins

Origin of detest¹

C16: from Latin dētestārī to curse (while invoking a god as witness), from de- + testārī to bear witness, from testis a witness

Synonym Study

See hate.

Example Sentences

Gaetz, as a man, appears to be widely detested by his former colleagues, given the number willing to publicly lambaste him.

From Salon

He learned to hate the influence of megacorporations and the culture of consuming cheap goods that he thought they fostered, and he detested the waste and pollution that came with it.

From Salon

Your work goes out into the world and it belongs to the people who watch it, whether they accept it, whether it’s beloved by them or detested by them or rejected by them.

From Los Angeles Times

Americans wholly detested the tariffs, which forced up the prices of popular products.

From Los Angeles Times

Her father, Kennedy said, "would have detested almost everything Donald Trump represents' if he was alive today."

From Salon

Related Words

• abhor
• despise
• loathe