loathe

verb \ˈlōth\

: to hate (someone or something) very much

loathedloath·ing

Full Definition of LOATHE

transitive verb

: to dislike greatly and often with disgust or intolerance : detest

— loath·er noun

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Examples of LOATHE

In fact, he was an energetic walker his whole life, but he loathed fresh-air fiends and he was rather stuck on the idea of being dissolute. —Paul Theroux, New York Times Book Review, 21 Apr. 1991
How I loathed the look of that type on my pages! Everything I wrote seemed, in that type, arrhythmic, dull, stupid. —Joseph Epstein, The Middle of My Tether,1983
I loathed the job so much that I did it quickly, urgently, almost violently. —W. P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe, 1982
Pushing the table from him while he spoke, as though he loathed the sight of food, he encountered the watch: the hands of which were almost upon noon. —Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, 1839
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Origin of LOATHE

Middle English lothen, from Old English lāthian to dislike, be hateful, from lāth

First Known Use: 12th century

Related to LOATHE

Synonyms: abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate

Antonyms: love

Synonym Discussion of LOATHE

hate, detest, abhor, abominate, loathe mean to feel strong aversion or intense dislike for. hate implies an emotional aversion often coupled with enmity or malice <hated the enemy with a passion>. detest suggests violent antipathy <detests cowards>. abhor implies a deep often shuddering repugnance <a crime abhorred by all>. abominate suggests strong detestation and often moral condemnation <abominates all forms of violence>. loathe implies utter disgust and intolerance <loathed the mere sight of them>.