detestable

adjective

di-ˈte-stə-bəl How to pronounce detestable (audio)
Definition of detestablenext
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency the detestable actions of a nasty little man

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 detestable Since season 1, Steve has evolved from detestable jock to one of the series’ most beloved and protective figures. — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025 But the context, circumstances and lack of reflection made his this detestable being. — John Hopewell, Variety, 25 Aug. 2025 But a wave of summer shows were canceled in response, with conservative leader Kemi Badenoch—a uniquely detestable political figure in a country that perfected the form—calling on Glastonbury to remove the band from this year’s bill. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 28 May 2025 Naturally, after Mary is taken hostage by Ronald’s detestable rival Jeff, the physical prowess that had eluded him all movie emerges in his time of need. — Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for detestable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detestable
  1. vile
  2. immoral
  3. dirty
  4. nasty
  5. cruel
  6. contemptible
  7. despicable
  8. vicious
Adjective
  • Prosecutors reveal Ha used anonymous social media accounts to send dozens of vile antisemitic threats, leaking the victim’s home address and forcing their family to flee.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • New additions include singer Tank, who plays vile music exec Eric Cropper and Jax’s main client, Beauty in Black star Taylor Polidore Williams as Eric’s wife Brooke, La La Anthony as Eric’s first wife Melina, and then Megan Good as Regina Harris.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of vile
Adjective
  • Central to the exhibition is the tension between the honorable and the immoral, the appealing and the revolting.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial premiered at New York Film Festival last night and left many people wondering, Just how funny can a movie about both the terrible capacity of generative AI and the immoral people in charge of it be?
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • The concentration of quaternary ammonia in the bucket with sanitizer is low (<100 ppm) and the water is visibly dirty.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Many of the strongest initial applications are the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks that go unfilled, contribute to injuries, and pull people away from higher-value judgment and exception handling.
    — Navin Chaddha, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • The polls still show a close-range contest, but in the increasingly nasty ad war, the spending suggests a far more lopsided fight.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Officers then cuffed the youngster as he was loaded into an ambulance and hospitalized for a fractured femur and a nasty bruise on his head, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the teen’s dad, Mahmoud Saleh, in Brooklyn Federal Court.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • The scandal rocked the Cry Babies, prompting some to give the singer a new nickname, Felony Martinez, while inciting the majority to pile in against Timothy and dismiss her story as contemptible lies.
    — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 13 July 2026
  • Most people in the anglosphere don’t follow this region, and those who do get their opinions from a small number of people with a contemptible worldview.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of contemptible
Adjective
  • The despicable Lindsay Clancy lawyer, using a repulsive alternative defense, shows the egregious chutzpah some shysters resort to to get a client off.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In a humiliating ritual, the assistant manager was marched out the door, hauled downtown for an interrogation, and accused of a despicable crime.
    — Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of despicable
Adjective
  • So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash reserves totaling $ 7,450,869 are being used to eviscerate his opponent with a vicious barrage of ad hominem assaults, thus giving him a 61 to 1 spending edge.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vicious

Browse Nearby Words

detest
detestable
detestableness
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Cite this Entry

“Detestable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestable. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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