hatred

noun

ha·​tred ˈhā-trəd 

1

: extreme dislike or disgust : hate

2

: ill will or resentment that is usually mutual : prejudiced hostility or animosity

… old racial prejudices and national hatreds …

—Peter Thomson

Synonyms of hatred

• contempt
• hate
• distaste
• disdain
• loathing
• abhorrence
• detestation
• hostility
• spite
• abomination
• disgust

Examples of hatred in a Sentence

He had an irrational fear and hatred of foreigners.

She makes no attempt to conceal her hatred for her opponents.

This troubled city is filled with hatred, prejudice, crime, and fear.

The war was fueled by hatreds that were centuries old.

Recent Examples on the Web

The campus group is called Huskies4Life, and its leaders told Fox News Digital that the hatred began before the chapter was even officially founded. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025

This is the hatred of a band nerd toward a cheerleader, and vice versa, and these two are just never going to get along. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025

In 2008, she was convicted of provoking discrimination and racial hatred after writing that Muslims are destroying her country. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025

Dor, who founded AI production company The Dor Brothers with his silent partner sibling, thinks hatred of artificial intelligence is at its peak right now. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hatrede, from hate hate entry 1 + -rede, suffix denoting state or quality, going back to Old English -rǣden — more at kindred entry 2

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hatred

• self-hatred

Kids Definition

hatred

noun

ha·​tred ˈhā-trəd 

: hate entry 1 sense 1