as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
the detestable actions of a nasty little man
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Recent Examples of detestable
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
Top-notch casting is the cherry on top, with Lily James as the supremely likable Cinderella, Richard Madden as her down-to-earth prince, Cate Blanchett as the detestable stepmother with her own imperfect backstory, and Helena Bonham Carter as one lovably flighty fairy godmother.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 May 2025
Remember Paul Reiser's detestable Carter Burke in Aliens?
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 24 Apr. 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
Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 28 May 2025
Top-notch casting is the cherry on top, with Lily James as the supremely likable Cinderella, Richard Madden as her down-to-earth prince, Cate Blanchett as the detestable stepmother with her own imperfect backstory, and Helena Bonham Carter as one lovably flighty fairy godmother.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 May 2025
Remember Paul Reiser's detestable Carter Burke in Aliens?
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 24 Apr. 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
Adjective
-
Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
His Max is both vile and charming, and the result is undeniably magnetic.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And never mind that this is simply wrong, almost to the point of being immoral.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
-
To do so is to be tacitly complicit in what these companies know to be wrong, unethical and immoral.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Prior to that time, a conservative who dared toss the dirty indictment at his or her opponent would face disapproval from all directions, and, of course, condemnation from the legacy media.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2026
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Knicks fans have grown accustomed to Hart doing the dirty work throughout the past four postseasons, but this is the first time first-year Knicks head coach Mike Brown has gotten to deploy the do-it-all guard’s versatility in the playoffs.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The duo made up for the absence of Wembanyama, who did not clear concussion protocol after a nasty fall knocked him out early from a Game 2 loss.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lomu did not fit the typical profile Mike Vrabel seeks in linemen, players with a nasty streak and fierce play demeanor.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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Violating that trust is both cruel and unlawful.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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For a man whose alleged bone spurs kept him out of the Vietnam draft to muse about receiving an award reserved for the bravest of the brave of the American armed forces is contemptible.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Imagine what the outcry would be if Joe Biden had done something so despicable.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Where health insurance is concerned, the result is an escalation of the already despicable situation forced on patients by a lack of public insurance option (owing in no small part to commercial insurance giants themselves).—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Now, is that the same as a soldier betting on the capture of a vicious dictator?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Beijing has long struggled to drive domestic consumption, while brutal competition in many industries has pushed producers to cut prices, triggering a vicious cycle in which people hold off on purchases in anticipation of coming discounts.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detestable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestable. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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