abomination

noun

abom·​i·​na·​tion ə-ˌbä-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce abomination (audio)
1
: something regarded with disgust or hatred : something abominable
considered war an abomination
2
: extreme disgust and hatred : loathing
a crime regarded with abomination

Examples of abomination in a Sentence

Some people view the sculpture as art while others see it as an abomination. most critics decried the remake of the classic film as an abomination
Recent Examples on the Web One speaker read aloud from the Bible—a bit about how a woman wearing men’s clothing was an abomination. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023 Some learned to hate themselves for being born gay, absorbing church leaders’ messages that homosexuality was an abomination in God’s eyes. The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023 Her physical body is not an abomination but a system that demands the meeting of its needs. Lorraine Berry, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023 Many books that offered the unvarnished truth of the nation’s racial history — that cast slavery as an abomination — were banned from classrooms, even in some college curriculums. Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023 That abomination was four times deadlier than the one in Jacksonville. The Editors, National Review, 30 Aug. 2023 There are too many variations, wonderfully creative abominations and utter masterpieces in this town to ignore for too long. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023 But there can be none for such abominations as Processing or Go. Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Sep. 2023 Emma Stone is an abomination (compliment) in Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow-up film to The Favourite, called Poor Things, out September 8. Vulture, 8 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abomination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abhomynacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French abhomination, borrowed from Late Latin abōminātiōn-, abōminātiō, from Latin abōminārī "to detest, abominate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abomination was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near abomination

Cite this Entry

“Abomination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abomination. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

abomination

noun
abom·​i·​na·​tion ə-ˌbäm-ə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce abomination (audio)
1
: something detestable
2
: extreme disgust and hatred : loathing

More from Merriam-Webster on abomination

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