abhorrent

adjective

əb-ˈhȯr-ənt How to pronounce abhorrent (audio)
Definition of abhorrentnext
1
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment he considers it abhorrent the way she keeps her dogs penned up all the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contemptuous
feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something regarded as undeserving of respect or concern she's abhorrent of the nonsense that the tabloid media pass off as news

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 abhorrent Halley Tejada has been sentenced to a sentence of 20-years-to-life in state prison for his abhorrent and fatal conduct. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 What’s striking is that Torrente is an abhorrent, fascist, Francoist, machista alcoholic yet people see him right at home in politics. — John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026 His abhorrent behavior is sadly too common across the restaurant industry, from the finest dining to the humblest street stalls. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026 Antisemitism is abhorrent and has resulted in the greatest atrocities in human history. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abhorrent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abhorrent
  1. disgusting
  2. contemptuous
  3. awful
  4. cruel
  5. horrible
  6. disdainful
  7. ugly
  8. malicious
Adjective
  • There is real hope of a postseason push, with the disgusting state of the American League leaving the door open for any team that dares to play well.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • This whole situation is discriminatory, disgusting, and quite frankly, Orwellian.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • The Larson campaign became openly contemptuous of Bronin at the May convention.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • The man didn’t catch Serena’s contemptuous expression, however, too busy peeling bills from a money clip and pressing them into his date’s hand.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • Cyber stocks late last year and into 2026 were being lumped into the awful enterprise software trade.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In 2024, Burke’s squad dragged itself off the mat after an awful (yet at the time, typical) start to the season to go unbeaten in 12 of 13 matches down the stretch and narrowly miss the playoffs.
    — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But Triage does have a moment in which an ember of the old cruel optimism flickers.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for DAYS OF THUNDER NASCAR audience who are MAGA.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
  • These two rubber bands in our throat are affected by everything from hormones to psychology to a bad day to a horrible night’s sleep to the sniffles or whatever.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Definition of disdainful
Adjective
  • The seventh-round rookie threw an ugly interception in the first quarter, while backpedaling and off his back foot.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Several leading Democrats, including Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, issued statements denouncing Piker’s ugly warning to the Jews as a barely veiled anti-Semitic threat.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • That leaves a short window during which malicious activity can contaminate the prediction machinery again.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • An attacker can then register the site and plant malicious instructions on it.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of malicious

Browse Nearby Words

abhorrences
abhorrent
abhorring
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abhorrent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abhorrent. Accessed 2 Sep. 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 dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All