as in despises
to dislike strongly
she hates her job, she hates her friends, and she hates her life!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in enemies
something or someone that is hated
the Alaska pipeline is a pet hate of environmentalists
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 hates
Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Ennis hates this — no kids, remember?
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Every other week, the internet either loves you or hates you.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Mar. 2026
Burd, who hates pickles, was hesitant to eat it and felt like throwing up.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
The group ate pickles together (Burd, who hates pickles, put one in his mouth but couldn’t chew it and spit it out).
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2026
Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, hates him for trying to send his friend to prison.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
If there’s one thing the TV industry hates is uncertainty.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
There’s no ending for Heathcliff that reconciles him to the cruelty shown to him by Hindley Earnshaw, who hates him from the moment that his father brings him home.
—Radhika Jones, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
Friedlander is a pop culture and entertainment journalist based in Los Angeles who hates coffee but loves Coke Zero.
—Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Ennis hates this — no kids, remember?
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Every other week, the internet either loves you or hates you.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Mar. 2026
Burd, who hates pickles, was hesitant to eat it and felt like throwing up.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
The group ate pickles together (Burd, who hates pickles, put one in his mouth but couldn’t chew it and spit it out).
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2026
Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, hates him for trying to send his friend to prison.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
If there’s one thing the TV industry hates is uncertainty.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
There’s no ending for Heathcliff that reconciles him to the cruelty shown to him by Hindley Earnshaw, who hates him from the moment that his father brings him home.
—Radhika Jones, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hates
Verb
-
The aide, Colonel Dave Butler, a former infantry officer, is a longtime leader in Army public affairs (not a specialty Hegseth embraces) who worked closely with the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (whom Hegseth despises).—
Missy Ryan,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The production reimagines the titular character as Alice, a novelist who despises hollow contemporary mantras and faces backlash for speaking her mind.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Shakespeare’s fierce and primal tragedy follows the celebrated warrior who knows how to conquer enemies but not how to win hearts.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Encouraging Natural Predators Attracting the natural enemies of moles to your yard might not work overnight but pays great dividends in the long run.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The circumstances made the role ill-suited to Bennett, and everyone knew that Shawn was beset by phobias.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
For people with shark phobias—likely traumatized by movies like Jaws—such advances could help make getting in the water a little easier.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The Succession Wars took a much darker turn thanks to the development of not just Battlemechs but of horrible flesh and steel monsters called abominations.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
These losses can’t be replenished nearly quickly enough to avoid possible global repercussions, as far more formidable adversaries than Iran—Russia and China—assess the war-fighting capacity that America holds in reserve.—
Brynn Tannehill,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The January operation that removed Maduro stunned both allies and adversaries, abruptly ending more than a decade of his rule and creating a power vacuum within the socialist movement.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hates. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
