detestation

noun

ˌdē-ˌte-ˈstā-shən How to pronounce detestation (audio)
Definition of detestationnext
1
as in hatred
a very strong dislike a congenital detestation of injustice, which drove her to become an activist for civil rights

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enemy
something or someone that is hated the family's pickiest eater is quite vehement in expressing his feelings about boiled cabbage, a particular detestation of his

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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 detestation How Nelson is reformulated from one who feels desire to one who feels detestation (as well as shame for having desired) is the remarkable achievement of both the story and the storyteller and the system that requires it. — Literary Hub, 3 Feb. 2026 One of the most memorable chapters epitomizes her detestation for the ultra-wealthy and pompous intellectuals who rushed to rationalize her work. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 20 Jan. 2024 Media coverage oscillated wildly between sycophantic applause and puritanical scrutiny - celebrities made to traipse an ephemeral, razor thin line between public adoration and detestation. — Colin Scanlon, Redbook, 4 Aug. 2023 That was the level of detestation and dedication to overturning Roe. — Tara Kole, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 July 2022 Others balance their detestation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine against other concerns. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2022 Here all the liturgical phrases of the 19th-century religion of progress, which had seemed hollow and platitudinous to a young man growing up in America in detestation of the Sunday supplements, rang true. — John Dos Passos, National Review, 28 Sep. 2020 Germany has set aside its traditional detestation for debt to unleash emergency spending, while enabling the rest of the European Union to breach limits on deficits. — Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detestation
  1. hatred
  2. enemy
  3. abhorrence
  4. antipathy
  5. hate
  6. aversion
  7. phobia
  8. abomination
Noun
  • Hong Kong authorities defend the verdict Hong Kong leader John Lee said the alliance has long deliberately planted seeds of hatred against the party and the central government in society, and their acts endangered national security.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But choices like Wintour’s silence the very people hurt by ethnic hatred.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • The Dodgers are baseball's enemy because their ownership group has shown a willingness to win, and their front office is smart enough to do so.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Likewise, battlefield commanders often need urgent response plans to enemy attacks, something AI can help with.
    — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of enemy
Noun
  • But your abhorrence of the outcomes of particular elections doesn’t justify your saying, Well, the hell with that.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible.
    — Michael Bloomberg, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
Definition of abhorrence
Noun
  • The other is that Republicans’ antipathy towards vote-by-mail is waning.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
  • Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images That Russia and China are seen as ideologically aligned on many geopolitical issues, with each sharing a traditional antipathy and distrust towards the West, and Washington.
    — Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Definition of antipathy
Noun
  • Getting together becomes a hate festival toward this child’s ex-spouse.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The meeting was already scheduled to discuss pertinent issues facing the league — among them, the online hate and vitriol directed toward players and other WNBA personnel.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of hate
Noun
  • The temperance movement was in full swing then, and the aversion to alcohol was especially strong in the rural South.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But Japan’s corporate culture shifted to reward caution over disruptive innovation, a trend that the World Economic Forum attributes to a cultural aversion to failure and risk.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of aversion
Noun
  • Cage plays Roy, a gifted con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose tics, phobias and elaborate rituals have turned his immaculate home into a fortress against the world.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Turns out that the star had quite the number of phobias to conquer.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of phobia
Noun
  • It a thematic fit, and after nearly 200 episodes, there’s no doubting this team’s ability to deliver fresh, new abominations.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
  • And that was before the abomination — three-parts Netflix advertising event and one-part baseball game — even happened.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
Definition of abomination

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detestably
detestation
detestations
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Cite this Entry

“Detestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestation. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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