abhorrent

adjective

əb-ˈhȯr-ənt How to pronounce abhorrent (audio)
Definition of abhorrentnext
1
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment he considers it abhorrent the way she keeps her dogs penned up all the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contemptuous
feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern she's abhorrent of the nonsense that the tabloid media pass off as news

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of abhorrent Pitt was having an abhorrent season, sitting at 4-7 and playing for nothing but pride after being eliminated from bowl game consideration the week prior. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026 To learn that zoos will be trafficking the sloths to other zoos and be used in breeding is abhorrent. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026 What’s striking is that Torrente is an abhorrent, fascist, Francoist, machista alcoholic yet people see him right at home in politics. — John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026 His abhorrent behavior is sadly too common across the restaurant industry, from the finest dining to the humblest street stalls. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abhorrent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abhorrent
  1. disgusting
  2. contemptuous
  3. awful
  4. cruel
  5. horrible
  6. disdainful
  7. ugly
  8. malicious
Adjective
  • Not only has the gimmick run stale, but her insistence on upping the ante year after year, creating costumes that are increasingly bizarre and disgusting, is a threat to us all.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The actions of their fans, especially their supporter group, was disgusting.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Yet the two plots remain separate and contemptuous of each other, with no denouement in sight.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Below the surface, there is a lot of contemptuous finger-pointing about where the anti-AI energy now coursing through the political-media landscape is coming from.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • In Obsession’s most horrifying sequence, the audience senses something awful is about to unfold several beats before the frenzy of blunt-force head trauma actually takes place on screen.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • As Philip awaits trial at home, Lucy processes the shock, too smart to believe this is all some awful misunderstanding.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • People talking to an AI in an abusive and cruel way are more likely to be associated with trying to get the AI model to engage in dangerous requests, like trying to get around an AI’s safety guardrails, Campbell added.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
  • From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Their monthlong travel by ship was under horrible conditions.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the fire was horrible, Hong said some blessings have emerged from the tragedy.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Definition of disdainful
Adjective
  • The league and its players’ union are heading for an ugly fight, years in the making.
    — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Cooling plates manage heat during normal operation, while passive barriers and electrical isolation are designed to contain the ugly edge cases that Beta’s testing process intentionally triggers.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Can someone manipulate them through prompt injection or malicious data into crossing those boundaries?
    — Alex Spokoiny, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Name the pattern Most bloviators aren't malicious, in my experience; it's just become their style.
    — Dorie Clark, Contributor, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of malicious

Browse Nearby Words

abhorrences
abhorrent
abhorring
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Cite this Entry

“Abhorrent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abhorrent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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