abhor
verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
Abhor implies strong feelings of repugnance, disgust, and aversion. This degree of distaste is seen in the word's history. In earlier use, abhor sometimes implied an actual shrinking away from something in horror or repugnance. Appropriately, the word's Latin source, the verb abhorrēre, comes from the prefix ab- ("from, away") and the verb horrēre ("to bristle, shiver, or shudder"). As you may have guessed, the Latin horrēre is also the source of the English words horror, horrify, and horrible.
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The Horror in Abhor
Abhor means “to loathe” or “to hate,” and while loathe and hate have roots in Old English, abhor derives from Latin. The roots of abhor can give us a deeper understanding of both the strength of the dislike expressed by the word and its relationship to other words in English. It came from the Latin word abhorrēre, which meant “to recoil from” or “to be repugnant to,” and was formed by combining ab-, meaning “from” and horrēre, meaning “to bristle,” “to tremble,” or “to shudder.” This word for trembling or shuddering in reaction to something scary or awful is related to the word that names of the cause of those reactions—the Latin word horror, which was later borrowed into English. The -hor of abhor is also the hor- of horror.
Synonyms
- abominate
- despise
- detest
- execrate
- hate
- loathe
Example Sentences
David Frum, Atlantic, March 1995 I abhor latter-day, modishly camp take-offs of my cherished boyhood heroes and heroines (Little Orphan Annie, Wonder Woman, Invisible Scarlet O'Neil). Mordecai Richler, New York Times Book Review, 3 May 1987 He abhorred grandiosity. When he came to New York to revise his manuscripts and galley proofs, he would hole up in a little cubicle on the attic floor of the old 52nd Street mansion that went by the name of Random House. Norman Cousins, Saturday Review, April 1981 abhors the way people leave their trash at the picnic sites in the park Balaji Ravichandran, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 Because of the enhancer, a young man was quickly tainted by an allegation we all abhor. Roy S. Johnson | Rjohnson@al.com, al, 13 May 2022 Yale faculty members abhor the prospect of changing the university’s name to satisfy leftist activists. Aron Ravin, National Review, 3 Apr. 2022 But then most normal people would also abhor the speech involved in the Brandenburg decision that Kirk references. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 25 Feb. 2022 This obstinance is confounding and perhaps infuriating for some who can't understand what so many parents abhor about resuming remote learning until Omicron subsides. Stephanie H. Murray, The Week, 13 Jan. 2022 Mother Nature, as the adage goes, must really abhor a vacuum. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2022 There are many things to abhor about Mark Zuckerberg and his works, but the fundamental mediocrity of it all is what feels both most egregious and most of this moment. David Roth, The New Republic, 22 Dec. 2021 Because, while Jason Momoa is clearly having a blast as Duncan in Denis Villeneuve’s new film adaptation, there’s no getting around the fact that — for myself and others — this is a fictional universe that should abhor a name like Duncan Idaho. Nate Jones, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Latin abhorrēre, from ab- ab- + horrēre "to bristle, shiver, shudder" — more at horror entry 1
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
abhor
verb
Brian Jacques, Redwallabhor
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- hate
- detest
- loathe
- despise
- abominate
- disdain
- execrate
- have it in for
- deplore
- scorn
- deprecate
- disapprove (of)
- discountenance
- disfavor
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- love
- prefer
- like
- desire
- enjoy
- favor
- relish
- fancy
- admire
- adore
- approve (of)
- worship
- revere
- cherish
- idolize
- treasure
- venerate
- esteem
- prize
- hallow
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of abhor are abominate, detest, hate, and loathe. While all these words mean "to feel strong aversion or intense dislike for," abhor implies a deep often shuddering repugnance.
In some situations, the words abominate and abhor are roughly equivalent. However, abominate suggests strong detestation and often moral condemnation.
The words detest and abhor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, detest suggests violent antipathy.
Although the words hate and abhor have much in common, hate implies an emotional aversion often coupled with enmity or malice.
The synonyms loathe and abhor are sometimes interchangeable, but loathe implies utter disgust and intolerance.