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
Relevance
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
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
-
How heartbreaking, and how vile, that any adult claiming compassion would seek to imbue a child with that extreme allergy to their own self.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The Diary again casts its eye far and wide for news, any news, that might distract us all from the vile toxicity emanating from Washington—make that Davos.—
Chop Choppish Shop,
Air Mail,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In addition to being immoral, CFA’s support for BDS likely violates state law, AB 2844, which prohibits California from contracting with entities that engage in discrimination, including against Jews or Israelis.—
Mark Pinkert,
Oc Register,
23 Dec. 2025
-
The film follows the deliciously immoral, widowed Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who maneuvers, deceives and seduces her way through London and across her relatives' country estates in an effort to find a wealthy husband for herself and her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark).—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The women have frequently shared their custom dirty soda orders and helped catapult the once-niche drink, often guzzled from 44-ounce mega cups, into the spotlight.—
Brittany Anas,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
-
If extremely dirty, they can be very briefly dunked into cold water and wiped dry.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Microsoft took months to fix Remote Desktop disconnection issues, then shipped a Windows Update that wiped out Copilot, and released updates that duplicated the Task Manager and created a nasty system recovery bug.—
Tom Warren,
The Verge,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Those might have increased here because of weak data, like the nasty drop in consumer confidence yesterday, or because of the expectation a new Fed chair will be more dovish.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Moon is at odds with three planets, which can trigger arguments, snide remarks and even cruel retorts.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
-
An old 4chan meme designed as a cruel caricature has somehow become the face of clueless commentators asking for context.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Your death was preventable, unjust, tragic, and contemptible; utterly contemptible.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Reuniting with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director George Roy Hill, Newman and Redford play con men out to ruin a contemptible gangster (Robert Shaw), devising an elaborate scam with plenty of twists, turns, contrivances, and double crosses.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
15 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the despicable incident that took place earlier today at a church in Minnesota.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Some, however, have called for an even harsher punishment for the royal’s despicable actions, including jail time.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That contraction represents a vicious cycle.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Benedict doesn’t realize that the woman who has entirely captured his attention is Sophie, the maid for the formidable Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), aka Lady Penwood and her daughters, the vicious and self-absorbed Rosamund Li (Michelle Mao) and the sweet but simple Posy Li (Isabella Wei).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detestable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestable. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
