abhorrent

adjective

ab·hor·rent | \-ənt

Definition of abhorrent

1 : causing or deserving strong dislike or hatred : being so repugnant as to stir up positive antagonism acts abhorrent to every right-minded person

2 : not agreeable : contrary a notion abhorrent to their philosophy

3a : feeling or showing strong dislike or hatred

b archaic : strongly opposed

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Examples of abhorrent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Supreme Court has repeatedly interpreted the Constitution in ways that any reasonable person would now agree were abhorrent. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Why John McCain opposes Gina Haspel leading the CIA — and why it matters," 10 May 2018 For the prigs, the mania for FAANG stocks is as abhorrent as a split infinitive. — The Economist, "Most stockmarket returns come from a tiny fraction of shares," 23 June 2018 Soon enough the conversation turns from Dolores’ abhorrent, murderous behavior to a question of whether Maeve should die to protect the rest of the robots. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "How Women Powered Westworld Season 2," 24 June 2018 His regime’s abhorrent treatment of its own people is largely forgotten. — The Economist, "Dealing with North Korea, Trump puts showmanship first," 14 June 2018 These calls to hold platforms liable for specific kinds of abhorrent content or behavior are undercutting the once-sturdy safe harbor principle of Section 230. — Tarleton Gillespie, WIRED, "How Social Networks Set the Limits of What We Can Say Online," 26 June 2018 After an outstanding start which saw the Three Lions take the lead through an early Steven Gerrard strike, the USA levelled through what can only be described as an abhorrent piece of goalkeeping. — SI.com, "On This Day: 12th June - the 'Hand of Clod' is Born as England Draw With the USA in 2010," 12 June 2018 The show itself has always been abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values. — Ed Stockly, latimes.com, "Calendar Letters: Jane Pauley, John McCain, Roseanne Barr and more," 31 May 2018 Rawls and Nurse endure, and ultimately resist, abhorrent treatment in the hope that the end of the war will bring freedom. — The Economist, "Kevin Powers has written a harrowing, resonant civil war novel," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abhorrent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.