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
Remember Paul Reiser's detestable Carter Burke in Aliens?
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 24 Apr. 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, 22 Mar. 2025
Can’t wait for the Stanley Cup window to close on Team Tank, easily the most detestable team in the League.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
Overall, the film has gotten a mixed reception, and Strong’s character is pretty detestable.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detestable
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 24 Apr. 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, 22 Mar. 2025
Can’t wait for the Stanley Cup window to close on Team Tank, easily the most detestable team in the League.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
Overall, the film has gotten a mixed reception, and Strong’s character is pretty detestable.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detestable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detestable
Adjective
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The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 July 2025
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Michael Kracker, the chair of the Erie County Republican Committee, posted the image on X, formerly Twitter, describing it as vile.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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The Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, is a federal law that prohibits the interstate or foreign transportation of individuals for prostitution or other immoral activities.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
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Swaggart, in July 1986, had accused a megachurch rival, New Orleans First Assembly of God Pastor Marvin Gorman, of committing immoral acts with a number of women over a period of years.—
Frank E. Lockwood,
Arkansas Online,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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What to look for in a quality cat fountain Filtration system Stagnant or dirty water is dangerous to pets, especially cats with a delicate immune system.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
18 July 2025
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The restaurant violated 17 standards, including bugs inside the restaurant and dirty kitchen equipment.—
Evan Moore
July 18,
Charlotte Observer,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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Her somewhat implausible problem is that her bad feelings—her irritation, her boredom—never register as such because of her beauty, her wealth, and her pedigree; so great is her beauty that even her nastiest moods feel like a sunny glow to others.—
Claire Jarvis,
New Yorker,
8 July 2025
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But use kind humor, not nasty or deprecating humor.—
Davia Temin,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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Each of us should demand our local leaders challenge every one of the immoral and cruel state laws and the Gestapo-like raids and inhumane detainments carried out by ICE agents.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
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Even critics who considered his policies cruel and racist – and there were many – admitted that behind the bluster there was the charm of a true believer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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At the time, some of LeBron’s critics saw this as contemptible.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The deliberate misrepresentation of his record by Moore is truly despicable.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
9 July 2025
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As Bertram, Gabriel Brown played well the spoiled and despicable cad.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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The author presents a vicious takedown of George Washington.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Stanton, demonstrating that there’s still plenty of power in his vicious swing, sent the pitch 401 feet the other way at 106.1 mph.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detestable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestable. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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