1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

loathing 1 of 3

noun

ˈlō-t͟hiŋ How to pronounce loathing (audio)
Definition of loathingnext
1
as in disgust
a dislike so strong as to cause stomach upset or queasiness the sight of his mortal enemy getting that undeserved promotion filled him with loathing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hatred
a very strong dislike I have an uncompromising loathing for anyone who would deliberately harm an animal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

loathing

2 of 3

adjective

as in hateful

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

loathing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of loathe
as in hating
to dislike strongly I simply loathe tapioca pudding

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 loathing
Noun
Off-camera, though, Hansen’s self-loathing and anxiety are off the charts. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026 The Administration's blind loathing of immigrants is doing harm to our nation that will take decades to repair. — Maggie Dougherty, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
Hathaway, an 11-year NHL veteran, now goes from loathing seeing the Panthers to being one of them. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 That still is win-now basketball, which is all the lottery-loathing Heat continue to preach. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for loathing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loathing
  1. disgust
  2. hatred
  3. hateful
  4. hating
  5. distaste
  6. contemptuous
  7. scornful
Noun
  • Amateur humiliation content has become widespread on the internet, giving Americans more opportunities than ever to indulge in gleeful disgust or righteous outrage.
    — Daniel LaChance, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This week’s list of South Florida restaurants failing inspection doesn’t bring volume — four restaurants — but does bring a strong amount of disgust.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of disgust
Noun
  • The Hearst newspaper chain’s first profile of Hitler made no explicit mention of antisemitism, emphasizing instead his hatred of the Bolsheviks.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Bartos argues the gathering codified radical anti-Western hatred, antisemitism, and anti-American sentiment, birth-place to the BDS movement.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of hatred
Adjective
  • Calling yourself compassionate doesn't excuse dangerous accusations What, exactly, is hateful about a mother or father wanting their daughter to have a female-only locker room?
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His parents denied any wrongdoing in an interview with ABC10 News and said the family does not hold hateful beliefs.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of hateful
Verb
  • John may have grown up hating Hal, and Hal may have treated John like dirt during their brief time together.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Out of 132 mentions of the trend, 125 were negative, with many comments not hating on the color beige, but making everything in a space the same neutral hue.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of hating
Noun
  • Some have also shared with me a profound distaste for how their friends and family are using AI for therapy and companionship, and a deep concern for their future employment prospects.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But all of that distaste was supposed to go away when the games began, when the undefeated and delicious product that is college football finally got the chance to shove the ancillary stuff back into the shadows.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of distaste
Adjective
  • Below the surface, there is a lot of contemptuous finger-pointing about where the anti-AI energy now coursing through the political-media landscape is coming from.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Relative to the contemptuous silence of the Mike Ashley regime, there is no comparison — but even when compared to previous post-takeover administrations, Newcastle are being more communicative.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • Atletico did not believe Madrid were actually serious with their bid, and reacted with more angry and scornful social media posts.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Tribunals have been appointed, and Coriolanus’ scornful elitism strikes them as too heavy a price for his military protection.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of scornful

Browse Nearby Words

loathes
loathing
loathings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loathing. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All