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
No matter how detestable the overthrown governments may be, precedents show that regime changes lead neither to democracy nor to peace, but to chaos, civil war and dictatorship.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
3 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for detestable
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
3 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for detestable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detestable
Adjective
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Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment.
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That person is referring to heavyweight Josh Hokit, who is facing widespread backlash for making a vile joke about former first lady Michelle Obama after winning his match over Derrick Lewis.
Adjective
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Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.
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These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.
Adjective
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Most notably, though, is its easy-to-clean material, which one flight attendant appreciates when up against dirty baggage claims and surprise spills.
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Crafted with Grey Goose vodka and Carpano Dry Vermouth, the cocktail is prepared to each guest’s preference—whether dry, dirty, extra dirty, shaken or stirred—from the restaurant’s signature martini cart.
Adjective
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Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.
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Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.
Adjective
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Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
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This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
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Predictions: Jamie Bell, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac, Matthew Macfadyen, Matthew Rhys A loaded category is headlined by Carey Mulligan’s fierce, contemptible, often hilarious performance as Oscar Isaac’s fed-up wife in Beef.
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The habits that sustain this treaty and this climate are precisely those that radicals on all sides find contemptible: compromise, procedural fidelity, the refusal to go for broke.
Adjective
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Judge calls Heuermann ‘despicable’ As a series of victims’ kin spoke, Heuermann sat with his hands on the defense table, looking straight ahead and lightly tapping his fingers.
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Among the other fan favorites who would make for exciting returns on the new show are Amaury Nolasco as Michael's loyal cellmate Fernando Sucre, William Fichtner as former FBI agent Alexander Mahone, and Robert Knepper as the despicable predator T-Bag.
Adjective
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This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
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The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
Cite this Entry
“Detestable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestable. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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