detest
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See hate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has detestedperfect 3rd person singular
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have detestedperfect
-
am detestingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been detestingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been detestingperfect progressive
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is detestingprogressive 3rd person singular
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detestssingular 3rd person
-
are detestingprogressive
-
detestingparticiple
Past
-
had detestedperfect
-
were detestingprogressive plural
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was detestingprogressive singular
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detestedparticiple
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detestedsimple
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had been detestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of detest
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French detester, from Latin dētestārī “to call down a curse upon, loathe,” equivalent to dē- de- + testārī “to bear witness”; see testate
Explanation
If you detest something, you dislike it intensely. The word can apply to things and also to people. You might detest your ex-boyfriend and you might also detest rainy Mondays and broccoli. Detest comes from the Middle French word détester, meaning "to curse, to call God to witness and abhor." Though the words detest and hate are interchangeable, the word hate is much more common, which has caused it to lose some of its hateful impact. Detest is used more sparingly, reserved for cases where no other word will do, where your feelings of dislike are so powerful that they need just the right word to sum them up.
Vocabulary lists containing detest
Tears of a Tiger
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Stargirl
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List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ethnic Persians are about half the population, and even those who detest the theocratic regime don’t want the country to break up or descend into civil war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
People detest her and Prince Harry for stepping back from their royal duties and even more so for going public about what life was like for them.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025
Carey shares that he used to detest wealthy people, before laughing and noting the irony — his career has made him rich.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025
Not only do the Fremen detest colonizers mining their planet for spice and often attack them, the mining operation is also a dangerous activity in and of itself.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2024
Nana Dee and Aunt J detest each other.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
