hateful

adjective

hate·​ful ˈhāt-fəl How to pronounce hateful (audio)
1
: full of hate : malicious
2
: deserving of or arousing hate
hatefully adverb
hatefulness noun

Examples of hateful in a Sentence

the girl's classmates were bullying her online, sending her hateful e-mails and text messages
Recent Examples on the Web Certainly, there is no endorsement of hateful ideology. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The university’s Hispanic Student Association and Latinos Invested in the Students of Tomorrow addressed the hateful comments in a joint statement and called for unity on campus. Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Broken Trust After taking over Twitter in late 2022, Musk fired much of the company's trust and safety team, which kept hateful and dangerous content as well as disinformation off the platform. Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024 The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism has documented over 160 hateful public forum disruptions since publishing its report on Aug. 21, 2023. Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024 The question is whether states like Florida and Texas can force big social media platforms to carry content the platforms find hateful or objectionable. Carrie Johnson, NPR, 26 Feb. 2024 The facts An influx of migrants into New York began in spring 2022 and has divided people in the city, prompting hateful talk online. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024 The people of the City of Dearborn, along with the City of Dearborn Heights, and all its neighboring cities are placed in peril when hateful misinformation is disseminated in mainstream media. Detroit Free Press, 3 Feb. 2024 A couple of the speakers referenced a website filled with anti-Semitic, homophobic, transphobic, and other hateful material that included what appeared to be a logo that resembles a Nazi flag. Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hateful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from hate hate entry 1 + -ful -ful entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hateful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near hateful

Cite this Entry

“Hateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hateful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hateful

adjective
hate·​ful ˈhāt-fəl How to pronounce hateful (audio)
1
: full of hate : malicious
hateful enemies
2
: causing or deserving hate
a hateful crime
hatefully adverb
hatefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hateful

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