detest

verb

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de·test | \ di-ˈtest

, dē- \

detested; detesting; detests

Definition of detest

transitive verb

1 : to feel intense and often violent antipathy toward : loathe detests politics They seem to truly detest each other.

2 obsolete : curse, denounce

Other Words from detest Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about detest

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Synonyms & Antonyms for detest

Synonyms

Antonyms

love

Choose the Right Synonym for detest

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

Examples of detest in a Sentence

I detest pepperoni, and wouldn't eat it if you paid me!

Recent Examples on the Web Beyond preventing Democrats from enacting laws and regulations that Republicans detest, the Post noted a Democratic Senate could threaten the President's legacy. — David Goldman, CNN, "New York Post to Donald Trump: Stop the insanity," 28 Dec. 2020 Lovecraft imagined frights beyond limitation, monstrosities so embedded in human experience that our planet — our very souls — stood revealed as playthings built by gods who detest us. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "Clichés terrorize the bold provocations of Lovecraft Country: Review," 13 Aug. 2020 Trump’s campaign that the Lincoln Project now appears to detest. — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, "The Lincoln Project Isn’t Good For America — It’s Only Good For Self-Pitying Republicans," 5 Aug. 2020 Since then, more than a dozen people have been charged with spoofing, including from some of the HFT firms Sarao so detested, according to prosecutors. — Liam Vaughan, Bloomberg.com, "Flash Crash Trader’s 10-Year Spoofing Saga Gets Hollywood Ending," 8 May 2020 But the change gives big banks, which have long detested the leverage ratio, a major win. — Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, "Fed Gives Banks a Break to Keep Markets Calm, Asking for Little in Return," 15 Apr. 2020 Some Peruvians praise him for defeating Maoist Shining Path guerrillas and resurrecting a devastated economy, while others detest him for human rights violations. — Washington Post, "Peru’s Keiko Fujimori leaves prison after top court ruling," 30 Nov. 2019 Everyone in our newsroom knows me as that rare editor who detests journalism contests. — Chris Quinn, Editor, cleveland, "The best reporters in Cleveland are delivering your news on the coronavirus: Letter from the Editor," 11 Apr. 2020 Salka had to make sure that Igor Stravinsky was not seated in the same room as Arnold Schoenberg —they detested each other. — Scott Eyman, WSJ, "‘The Sun and Her Stars’ Review: Weimar in Hollywood," 24 Jan. 2020

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