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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This hateful message emboldened the audience to boo when graduates in Jewish Studies and Hebrew were called to the stage. Isabella Brannon, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025 Wilcox’s attorney, Bryant Scriven, told the Orlando Sentinel his client was a disabled military veteran who is neither a violent nor a hateful person. Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 June 2025 The biggest community of critics reside in a sub-Reddit dedicated to railing against the story and more specifically, Abby’s role in it, which has been an incubator for hateful rhetoric and harassment against those involved with The Last of Us Part II for the last five years. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025 The suit came after Media Matters published a report that outlined how X was placing advertising next to hateful content. Filip Timotija, The Hill, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hateful

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hateful. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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