as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the girl's classmates were bullying her online, sending her hateful e-mails and text messages
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 hateful
But Lamb isn’t as hateful as all that.
—
Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Republican leaders have called some of their messages hateful and un-American.
—ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Many figures not only on the Israeli right, but also in the West, argue that the Palestinian people and their cause are inherently hateful and prone to anti-Jewish violence.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
The show follows Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam), an unassuming and odd man, working his family’s farm under the watchful eye of his hateful and vicious mother, Augusta (Laurie Metcalf).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hateful
Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Republican leaders have called some of their messages hateful and un-American.
—ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Many figures not only on the Israeli right, but also in the West, argue that the Palestinian people and their cause are inherently hateful and prone to anti-Jewish violence.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
The show follows Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam), an unassuming and odd man, working his family’s farm under the watchful eye of his hateful and vicious mother, Augusta (Laurie Metcalf).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hateful
Adjective
-
Police believe the act was done with malicious intent.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This creates a vicious cycle where shame is a currency, and the only person who actually pays a price is the one who is mocked.—
Eli Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
-
After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The discrepancy has divided voters, stirred up nasty social media exchanges and even inspired an 18-year-old Lakota grad to throw his hat in the district's school board race.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
29 Oct. 2025
-
And any school or school district that does try to discriminate, that man right there will probably first send you a nasty gram and then drop the hammer.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hateful. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share