as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
her political commentary seems to be nothing more than an exercise in hatefulness and vicious invective
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 hatefulness
Trump’s narcissistic obsession with the place, together with the miasmic hatefulness of his words and actions, has caused artists to flee en masse.
—
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2026
Comment sections have always attracted hatefulness and resentment; these ones just happen to encourage it more explicitly.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2026
Comment sections have always attracted hatefulness and resentment; these ones just happen to encourage it more explicitly.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hatefulness
Noun
-
Jurors found that Grossman and Erickson both acted with conscious disregard for the boys' safety and malice, thereby awarding punitive damages in the wrongful death lawsuit.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
Jurors decided that Grossman acted with malice and oppression and Erickson acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, kicking off the punitive phase of the trial.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
These reports have significantly contributed to increasing hatred towards Islam.—
Beth Bailey,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Was there a true hatred or deep respect?—
Keith Murphy,
VIBE.com,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Mark the edge of the swelling on the bite and make note of the time — the spread from the original mark can indicate how fast the venom is spreading.—
Sophie Lindberg,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
-
The captain backed off, but Curry never forgot the look in his eyes, or the venom in his voice.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Nothing that reflects the sheer abjection of the murderous dog pounds of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries or the many individual cruelties visited upon dogs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
There are allegories that can be read about fear of the unknown breeding cruelty and exploitation, but Disclosure Day is first and foremost a propulsive yarn with thematic roots in hope, truth, empathy and perhaps even spirituality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hatefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hatefulness. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
